Can You Describe The Flowering Dogwood Plant?

Dogwood grows in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, and one type thrives in Peru. The flowering dogwood is found over a wide range of the eastern United States. In fact, it flourishes from Florida to southern Canada and westward to Kansas and Oklahoma. It is a bushy tree, seldom reaching more than forty feet (12 meters) in height. The dogwood is often found growing under the taller trees in the woodlands. There are some forty kinds of dogwood, fourteen of which grow in the United States.

The origin of the name is uncertain and sources tend to disagree about the beginning of its use. We do know, however, that in England during the early seventeenth century a diluted decoction made from the bark of the European species (Cornus sanguinea) was used to wash mangy dogs and for treating dog bites. That may account for the name "dogwood."

The bark of the flowering dogwood contains the same substances found in the cinchona tree, though in different proportions. As you may know, the cinchona tree is the source of quinine. From the days of the Spanish explorers in South America, its value for reducing fever has been well known. During the Civil War in the United States, however, the bark of the dogwood tree was employed in making a tonic used in treating wounded and sick soldiers. It was used both for fever and as an antiseptic.

The dogwood flowers are much the same on both the shrub and tree types They are usually white and have 4 and sometimes 5 petals in umbels that are quite large. The trees or shrubs in full bloom or beautiful.