Dogwood, Cherokee Brave

Description:

Flowering dogwood, is a small deciduous tree that typically grows 15-30’ tall with a low-branching, broadly-pyramidal but somewhat flat-topped habit. It arguably may be the most beautiful of the native American flowering trees. It is native from Maine to southern Ontario to Illinois to Kansas south to Florida, Texas and Mexico. It is the state tree of Missouri and Virginia.

Flowering dogwood is one of our most beautiful native small trees, with blossoms beginning in early spring. The true dogwood flowers are actually tiny, yellowish green and insignificant, being compacted into button-like clusters. However, each flower cluster is surrounded by four showy, white, petal-like bracts which open flat, giving the appearance of a single, large, 3-4” diameter, 4-petaled, white flower. Oval, dark green leaves (3-4” long) turn attractive shades of red in fall. Bright red fruits are bitter and inedible to humans (some authors say poisonous) but are loved by birds. Fruits mature in late summer to early fall and may persist until late in the year.

Flowering dogwood prefers moist, organically rich, acidic soils in part shade. As with all flowering dogwoods, foliar fungal diseases such as anthracnose and powdery mildew can not only detract from the aesthetic value but can stress the tree which can predispose it to an even more serious pest, the dogwood borer.The cultivar, ‘Cherokee Brave’, is one of the pink flowered forms which are arguably more susceptible to these problems. Plant with the awareness that this tree may require ongoing maintenance to keep it performing at its best.