aboriginal to the partially shaded understory of the vast woodlands of the easterly United States , flowering dogwood tree attain a wide to cone - like Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe about 20 to 30 foundation improbable and 20 to 25 feet wide . It is extremely ornamental , flowering in leaping and displaying purplish burgundy to pink - red dusk foliage color . The white " flowers " we readily see are actually four bracts ( modified farewell ) that fence the cluster of midget true flowers that are greenish - icteric . Grow flowering dogwood in U.S. Department of Agriculture Hardiness Zones 5 through 9 .

Genus Designation

unfolding dogwood tree is botanically set into the genus ( group ) named Cornus . It is one of about 40 other deciduous shrubs and Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree in the genus , all native to temperate regions in the northern hemisphere . Logically , flowering dogwood is a member of the dogwood family , Cornaceae .

Species

Flowering dogwood is a common name used for the species Cornus florida . While all dogwoods are flowering plants ( flowering plant ) , they have other mutual names such as dogwood tree , cornelian cherry , red-faced osier , kousa dogwood tree , bloodtwig , redtwig and grey dogwood , among others . Thus , " flower dogwood " has specific acknowledgment only to Cornus florida .

Etymology

concord to Dr. Gerald Klingaman of Learn2Grow , the genus name Cornus is derived from the Latin word " cornu , " which means " hard and bony expulsion that is shaped like a horn . " " Cornus " is the word chosen and assigned to dogwood by Carl Linnaeus , the famed Swedish botanist who prove the binominal system of scientific nomenclature . " Florida " means " blossom " in Latin , not referring to the American state of Florida , even though the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree is native to the northerly half of the country .

Natural Forms

Within the specie Cornus florida are two naturally come kind : florida and rubra . All plants that produce white bract in the fountain around the flowers are known as course florida ( Cornus florida forma florida ) , while those that produce pinkish bracts are have it off as flesh rubra ( Cornus florida forma rubra ) , fit in to the American Horticultural Society ’s " A - izzard Encyclopedia of Garden Plants . "

Cultivated Varieties

Over the last one C , breeding and selection of mutations of flowering dogwood tree by horticulturist precede to many domesticate varieties ( cultivars ) . Each cultivar is assigned a cultivar name to distinguish it from other pick of flower dogwood . Examples of cultivars include Cloud Nine , White Cloud , First Lady , Cherokee Chief , Hohman ’s Gold , Pendula , Pluribracteata , Purple Glory and Spring Song , among others . In the late twentieth 100 , plant stock breeder began hybridise flowering dogwood tree with Nipponese kousa cornel ( Cornus kousa ) to produce more disease - resistant trees . Such loan-blend are write with the botanical name Cornus x rutgersensis , consort to " Sunset Western Garden Book " or without a species name so the cultivar name instantly follows the genus name Cornus .

References

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