Twigs: Bright green, sometimes reddish, smooth and shiny; large white [pith]. End bud much larger than side ones, with many loose scales.
Fruit: Cherry-like, dark blue, shiny, about ½″ in diameter, on a red stem enlarged at the point of attachment. Borne in clusters. Yellow flowers appear before the leaves unfold.
General: Bark on young trees soon becomes furrowed, the greenish bark changing to brown; inner bark salmon colored; older trees show deep fissures extending long distances up the trunk. A small to medium-sized tree, with crooked branches; often spreading by root suckers. Its roots, leaves, twigs and fruit have a spicy odor; the oil contained in these parts is used for a “tea,” in medicines, perfumes, etc. Wood used chiefly for fuel and fence posts.
FLOWERING DOGWOOD
(Cornus florida)
Leaves: Simple, opposite, 3″-5″ long; clustered toward tips of twigs; margins smooth or wavy; veins prominent and curved like a bow. Foliage bright red in autumn.
Twigs: Red tinged with green, often with a bluish white powdery coating; marked with rings; tips curve upward. End leaf bud covered by 2 reddish scales; side leaf buds very small; flower buds conspicuous, silvery, button-shaped, at ends of twigs.
Fruit: An egg-shaped [drupe], ½″-⅗″ long; coat red; flesh yellowish; stone grooved, 2-celled; usually in clusters of 2-5; persist after the leaves fall. Flowers greenish white or yellowish, small, in flat-topped clusters; four showy white bracts underneath; open before the leaves.
General: Bark red-brown to reddish gray, broken by fissures into small blocks, like alligator hide. A small native tree with low spreading crown, especially valued for ornamental planting. Wood used primarily for textile weaving shuttles. There is a variety with red or pink bracts.