Cornus florida

Flowering dogwood is a member of the dogwood or Cornaceae family and is a large-flower dogwood, native to the eastern United States from south of the Great Lakes through to northern Mexico. Many varieties have been developed which are now cultivated in many countries, even in Japan where it is a common street tree.

• Leaves are opposite, simple, ovate, 6–13 cm long and 4–6 cm broad.
• Flowering in the spring is prolific, with white and pink varieties.
• The species is monoecious. Flower-heads are very small and inconspicuous in tight cluster heads about 1.3 cm in diameter, resembling that of Pacific dogwood and kousa dogwood. Each cluster head is surrounded by four conspicuous large white, pink or red "petals" (actually bracts), each bract 3 cm long and 2.5 cm broad, rounded, and often with a distinct notch at the apex.
• The cluster head in the center of the flower develops into individual drupes 10–15 mm long and 8 mm wide that are not fused, turning red in the fall. While Pacific and the kousa dogwoods develop distinct large compound berries, flowering dogwood maintains the loose clusters of 2 to 6 drupes, making it easy to identify.
• Flowering dogwood leaves often has most outstanding red colours in the late fall.
• In the winter, the twig has terminal flower buds that are clove-shaped while the vegetative buds are dark brown, pointed, more narrow.