Fig. 85.—Bark of the Flowering Dogwood.
Soil and location: It grows naturally on low bottom-lands but will also do well in poor, dry soils.
Enemies: Practically free from disease and insects.
Value for planting: The catalpa grows very rapidly and is cultivated in parks for ornament and in groves for commercial purposes. The hardy catalpa is preferable to the common catalpa for planting.
Commercial value: The wood is extremely durable in contact with the soil and is consequently used for posts and railroad ties.
Other characters: The flowers, which appear in late June and early July, are large, white and very showy.
Other common names: Indian bean; western catalpa.
Comparisons: The white flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) is a small tree which also has its leaves in whorls of three or sometimes opposite. It can be readily told from other trees, however, by the small square plates into which the outer bark on the trunk divides itself, see [Fig. 85], and by the characteristic drooping character of its branches. It is one of the most common plants in our eastern deciduous forests. It is extremely beautiful both in the spring and in the fall and is frequently planted for ornament. There are many varieties of dogwood in common use.