Plant
Dogwood
Cornus (genus)
Also known as: Cornus, flowering dogwood, Cornus florida
A genus of around 60 species of small to medium-sized trees and shrubs in the family Cornaceae — distributed across temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The flowering dogwood (*Cornus florida*) is the iconic spring-flowering small tree of the eastern North American forest understory; the cornelian cherry (*Cornus mas*) is the medieval Mediterranean fruit-bearing dogwood; the Pacific dogwood (*Cornus nuttallii*) and Kousa dogwood (*Cornus kousa*) extend the genus across the Pacific Northwest and East Asia. State flower and tree of multiple US states; the species' large pink or white flower bracts (which are technically modified leaves, not petals) are a defining spring visual signal across much of the eastern American landscape.
Scientific
Cornus (family Cornaceae) contains ~60 species across temperate and boreal Northern Hemisphere. Principal species:
- Cornus florida — flowering dogwood; iconic eastern North American understory tree
- Cornus kousa — Kousa dogwood; East Asian; later-blooming than C. florida; more disease-resistant
- Cornus nuttallii — Pacific dogwood; western North American
- Cornus mas — cornelian cherry; Mediterranean; fruit-bearing
- Cornus alba — [[red-osier-dogwood|red-twig dogwood]]; native to Eurasia; ornamental shrub with striking red winter stems
- Cornus sericea — [[red-osier-dogwood|red-osier dogwood]]; native to North American wetlands; basketry material
The dogwood’s distinctive “flower” is actually four (rarely six) large petal-like bracts — modified leaves — surrounding a small central cluster of true flowers. The bracts open white or pink (depending on species and cultivar) and persist for 2–3 weeks in spring, creating the species’ visual impact.
Cultural
State symbols associating dogwood:
- Virginia — state flower (Cornus florida)
- [[asheville|North Carolina]] — state flower
- Missouri — state tree
- New Jersey — state memorial tree
The species appears in pre-Columbian Indigenous American material culture — Cherokee tradition includes dogwood among the “four sacred plants.” The fruit (drupes; small red berries in C. florida, larger in C. kousa and C. mas) was eaten by Indigenous peoples; C. kousa fruits are pleasantly sweet, while C. florida fruits are bland and mostly avoided.
Cornus florida across the eastern American forest has been hit hard by dogwood anthracnose (Discula destructiva), a fungal disease that emerged in the 1980s and has killed substantial portions of the native flowering dogwood population. Cornus kousa and hybrids of C. florida × kousa are resistant and are increasingly being planted as replacements.
The cornelian cherry (Cornus mas) is the only commercially-fruit-cultivated species. Eastern European, Greek, and Turkish traditions use the small acidic red fruits in preserves, jams, syrups, and traditional alcoholic beverages.
See also
Auto-generated from this entry’s typed relations: frontmatter, grouped by relation type so the editorial signal isn’t flattened.
- Shares approach with: [[yuzu]] · [[wisteria]] · [[soybean]] · [[shiitake]] · [[pear]]
- Member of: [[plants]]
- Cousin of: [[red-osier-dogwood]]
Sources
- Wikipedia — Cornus
A plant entry in the 0mn1.one [[directory]].
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