Tag: Flowering Dogwood

American Dogwood

Virginia State Flower

American dogwood was designated the Virginia State Flower in 1918. The selection was influenced by the Commonwealth’s association with one of America’s most noted founding fathers and presidents. Thomas Jefferson loved trees and grew more than 160 species on the grounds of his Virginia estate, Monticello. He maintained detailed records of his gardens and referenced the dogwood tree as far back as 1771.

In the late 1780s while serving as Minister to France, Thomas Jefferson presented the seeds of North American trees to his associates in Europe. He made several shipments of dogwood seeds to a friend in Paris, Madame de Tessé. His enthusiasm for trees lasted a lifetime. Shortly before his death at the age of eighty-three, Thomas Jefferson designed an arboretum for the University of Virginia.

Flowering dogwood is one of the most popular trees for ornamental planting in the United States. Dogwood trees are also extremely valuable for wildlife, which ingest the seeds, fruit, flowers, twigs, bark, and leaves of the plant. The fruits are especially popular with birds. They’re also a high-fat food source for mammals, including bears, beavers, deer, chipmunks, foxes, rabbits, skunks, and squirrels.

American Dogwood Facts

Common Name: American Dogwood
Scientific Name: Cornus florida
Year Adopted: 1918
Peak Bloom: April to June

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Flowering Dogwood Coloring Page to Print or Color Online

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American Dogwood photograph by JamesDeMers

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The Trees of Monticello

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State Flowers

North Carolina State Flower

by Kim on August 17, 2016

Flowering Dogwood

North Carolina State Flower

The blossom of the dogwood tree was designated the North Carolina State Flower in 1941. The legislature’s choice was an obvious one. Dogwood trees are common throughout the “Tar Heel State.” They thrive as far west as the mountains, all the way to the Atlantic coast. Residential gardeners in Charlotte, Raleigh, and Durham have incorporated dogwood trees in their landscape designs for decades. Many of those trees now reach 40 feet in height.

American dogwood trees are gorgeous all year long. During springtime, hills and mountainsides are covered in a mass of snowy white and light pink blossoms. Bees and other pollinators are attracted to the tree’s true flowers — small, yellow blooms located in the center of the large petals, or bracts. After a flower is pollinated, the bracts drop off and small red fruits are formed. These fruits provide food for birds, which then distribute the dogwood’s seeds. Thus, the cycle continues.

Flowering Dogwood Facts

Common Name: Flowering Dogwood
Scientific Name: Cornus florida
Year Adopted: 1941
Peak Bloom: April to June

North Carolina State Flower Coloring Pages