White Flowering Dogwood Growth

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Overview

Native to the eastern United States, dogwood is a flowering, deciduous tree that grows as tall as 15 to 40 feet.

The clean, white bracts of the dogwood set off the greenery and trunk. image by "Only rarely is the Jinxlet captured on film in mid-frolic" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: Brendan Adkins (Brendan Adkins) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.

Bark

The bark of mature dogwood trees is segmented into small blocks so that the texture of the tree trunk looks a bit like alligator skin.

Branching

The tree branches horizontally, creating a rounded crown atop the tree that is wider than the tree is tall.

Seasons

In autumn, the foliage of the tree turns red or purple before dropping off. In spring, the tree flowers.

Flowers

The white flowers of the dogwood are actually bracts, which are modified leaves. The true flowers are yellow and very small, surrounded by four bracts.

Berries

The tree produces red or yellow berries that are poisonous. Within those are one or two seeds. Fruits ripen in the fall.

Vulnerablites

Dogwood doesn't like the stress of poor soil, heat and drought. If in full sun, the tree needs watering because the dogwood likes partial shade.

References

USDA Plant Guide; Flowering Dogwood; Sarah Wennerberg; May 2006
Flowering Dogwood; NC State University

Keywords: white dogwood, flowering dogwood, white flowering dogwood

About this Author

Sophie Johnson is a freelance writer and editor of both print and film media. A freelancer for more than 20 years, Johnson has had the opportunity to cover topics ranging from construction to music to celebrity interviews.

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