Other Common Names: Virginia Dogwood, Florida Dogwood, White Cornel, Arrowwood, False Box

Scientific Name: Cornus florida

Native to Alabama: Yes

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
W.D. and Dolphia Bransford
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• I am a vascular plant with a woody trunk supporting woody branches, so I am a tree.
• I do not keep leaves year-round, so I am deciduous.
• I renew my growth each spring for many seasons, so I am perennial.
• I can grow 15 – 30 feet high and 15 – 30 feet wide.

• Dormant in winter.
• Pruning is not necessary, but can be pruned in the spring to help maintain its shape.
• Maintain a mulch layer around the base to help keep roots cool and moist, especially during the summer.
• Fertilize in spring and fall.
• When watering, hold hose to base of plant for a count of 5 seconds. Water should reach all roots.
• Avoid sprinkling water on the leaves.
• Until established, water two times per week during the summer and once per week during the rest of the year.

• All plants start life as a seed. Seeds contain the new plant (embryo) and the nutrients inside of a protective coat. They must be dispersed (moved to a new location)
• Once a seeed lands in a suitable environment, it will begin to grow to form the cotyledon or sprout. Small roots will begin growing into the soil, and a small leaf is developed.
• The sprout becomes a seedling, developing a stem and leaves above ground.
• As the seedling continues to grow, it will develop into a mature adult plant.
• Mature adult plants are able to produce flowers that can be pollinated. The pollination process leads to the formation of new seeds, and the process continues.