Ontario Trees & Shrubs website

Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida

Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) Other common names: Eastern Flowering Dogwood

Other scientific names: Cynoxylon floridum

French names: Cornouiller fleuri

Family: Dogwood Family (Cornaceae)

Group: Dogwoods

Distinctive features: Shrub; This dogwood is distinguished by its showy large white flowers that bloom in early spring.

Similar species:
  •   Alternate-leaved Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) - has alternate leaves.

  •   Round-leaved Dogwood (Cornus rugosa) - has obviously round leaves.

  •   Silky Dogwood (Cornus obliqua) - grows in wetlands; has striped bark.

  •   Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus stolonifera) - has reddish or greenish bark, grows in wetlands.

  •   Dogwoods

Flowers: Spring;  White;  4 parts (petals);  Large.

Leaves: Opposite/Whorled, Simple, Entire

Habitat: Forests;  Open woods.

Books: Trees in Canada: 181    Shrubs of Ontario: 351    Newcomb's Wildflower Guide: 166   

Native/Non-native: Native

Status: Common, mostly in the more southerly parts of Ontario. But Flowering Dogwoods are being decimated by a fungal disease, particularly in the NE USA.

Photographs: 210 photographs available, of which 11 are featured on this page. SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTOGRAPHS.

Range Map is at the bottom of the page

Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) leaf

Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) leaf

Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) leaves

Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) tree

Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) flower

Flowering Dogwood flower.

Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) flowers

Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida)

The actual flowers of Flowering Dogwood are in the center of this apparent flower, and are a small cluster of green flowers.

Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) fruit

Fruit of Flowering Dogwood.

Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) trunk and bark

Flowering Dogwood trunk, showing the bark.

Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) trunk and bark

The trunk and bark also sometimes look like this.

Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida)

A nice scattering of Flowering Dogwood flowers in the spring woods.


Range map for Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida)

PLEASE NOTE: A coloured Province or State means this species occurs somewhere in that Province/State.
The entire Province/State is coloured, regardless of where in that Province/State it occurs.

(Range map provided courtesy of the USDA website and is displayed here in accordance with their Policies)