Leaf:  Opposite, simple; broadly oval with pointed apex, tapering or rounded at the base; up to 6 inches long, less than half as broad; thick and firm with upwardly curving impressed veins on the upper surface; edges without teeth; green and smooth or sparsely hairy on the upper surface, pale and finely hairy or sometimes smooth on the lower surface; leafstalks up to 3/4 inch long, smooth or finely hairy; turning scarlet in autumn.

Flower:  Small, greenish-white, crowded together in a cluster, surrounded by 4 large, white (often pink or rose) petal-like bracts, each bract notched at the apex, appearing in late April and May.

Fruit:  Bright red, black-tipped, ovoid berries growing in clusters; each fruit up to 1/2 inch long, shiny, with mealy flesh and 1 or 2 seeds; maturing in autumn. 

Twig:  Slender, greenish to light brown, smooth, often curving upward at the tip; leaf scars opposite, crescent-shaped, elevated, with 3 bundle traces.

Bark:  Smooth, reddish brown on young trees; at maturity, dark gray to brown with small, scaly blocks.

Form: Small to medium tree to 40 feet tall; trunk diameter 8 inches to 2 feet; crown rounded.

Discussion

The wood is moderately important as it is very heavy, hard, and fine-grained.  It is a tough, shiny, red-brown wood, used for tool handles, small pulleys, mallet heads, jeweler's blocks, bobbins, and weaving shuttles, and formerly used for making hubs of small wheels, barrel-hoops and occasionally engraver's blocks.

Birds frequently eat the flower buds during winter, affecting the blooming the following spring.  Songbirds, squirrels, raccoons, and small mammals eat the fruits; white-tailed deer browse the leaves, twigs, and especially the new growth.

Native Americans used the aromatic bark and roots as a remedy for malaria and extracted a red dye from the roots.

This is one of the most popular native flowering trees in the U.S.  It is a dependable, attractive and adaptable tree with showy early spring flowers, red fruit, and scarlet autumn foliage; excellent for use as a specimen, massed in groups or planted at the corners of buildings.  Cultivars include " White Cloud," a free-flowerer with white bracts; "Rubra," with rose-colored bracts; and "Pendula," with pendulous branches.

Distinguishing Characteristics

 The opposite, toothless leaves with deeply impressed veins distinguish this species.

Distribution

Maine across to Kansas, south to Texas, east to Florida; also in Mexico.

Images

Click each small picture to see a larger image. 

October, 2002 JD	October, 2002 CB	May 1, 2003	May 1, 2003	May 1, 2003
October, 2002,CB	October, 2002 JD	March, 2003 March, 2003	May 1, 2003	May 1, 2003
March, 2003	March, 2003

Location

N 39.2772°      W -89.88070°                                                                           
East side of  Federated Church lawn, 100 Block of  East Second South Street, Carlinville, Macoupin County, IL.     

Copyright

Photos © Cody Branson and Jeff Dugan, Carlinville High School, linke@carlinvilleschools.net

References

Steven M. L. Aronson, Trees, Fandex Family Field Guides # 47, 1997, Workman Publishing Company.

Elbert L. Little, Field Guide to Trees:  Eastern Region, 1980, Alfred A. Knopf.

Iowa State University, Biology Department
http://project.bio.iastate.edu/trees/campustrees/index_botanical.html
   (Click Cornus florida.)

Robert H. Mohlenbrock, Forest Trees of Illinois, 1996, Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

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