Description
Cornus – Cornel – Dogwood –
There are about 45 species of deciduous and evergreen shrubs and small trees, and 1 or 2 woody based herbaceous perennials, in this genus. They occur in grassland, thickets, woodland, rocky slopes, and swamps, mostly in Northern Temperate areas. The usually smooth edged, opposite, sometimes alternate leaves are ovate-lance shaped to broadly ovate, and mid to dark green with prominent, inward curving veins. Small star shaped flowers, come in greenish, yellowish or purplish shades are borne in terminal cymes, with or without bracts, in dense umbels with yellowish bracts that fall as the flowers open, in dense clusters with conspicuous white or pink bracts. Those borne in cymes or umbels are followed by loose clusters of berries, those borne in clusters are followed by tight clusters of berries or are united into compound, fleshy fruits.
Dogwoods are grown for their showy bracts, elegant habit, fruits, and colorful autumn leaves, some are effective specimen trees or shrubs, especially in a woodland garden. Those with colorful winter shoots, sometimes coppiced or pollarded, are useful for many situations, from a shrub border to a waterside garden. The fruits of some species may cause mild stomach upset if ingested, contact with leaf hairs may irritate skin.
Grow in full sun or very light shade, in neutral to acidic soil that’s rich, fertile, well drained soil, though some of the multi stemmed shrub species will grow well in boggy ground.
Prone to spot anthracnose (dogwood blight, powdery mildew, Discula blight, crown canker, bacterial leaf spot, mushroom root rot, twig borers, weevils, sawfly, scale insects, aphids, leafhoppers, root knot nematodes, and thrips.
C. florida – Flowering Dogwood – This slow growing, conical, single, somewhat crooked trunk, deciduous tree or shrub from Eastern North America grows 20-30′ feet tall and 25′ feet wide. It produces broadly oval to ovate, pointed, often slightly twisted or curled, dark green leaves with paler undersides, to 6″ long, which turn orange-yellow or red and purple in autumn. In mid spring it bears green flowers, tipped with yellow, are borne in flowerheads, to ½” across, surrounded by 4 obovate, white to pink bracts, to 2″ long, followed by clusters of usually 3 or 4 bright red, oval fruit. Popular for its beauty and reliability.
‘Cherokee Daybreak’ – produces green and white leaves that turn pink to deep red in autumn
Zones 5-8
