Species Name:  Cornus florida

Common Name: Flowering Dogwood

Zone: 4 to 8

Distribution: Maine, southern Ontario west to Michigan south to Florida and easternOklahoma

Seed collection: Cornus florida (CF) seed matures in early September in the northeast.  the fruit changes color from green to bright red over the course of a weeks time.  The fruits are produced in clusters of 1 to 4 or 5 fruits at the tips of young twigs.  Many species of birds and small mammals will  feed on the fruits as soon as they begin to ripen.  Collect fruit from the tree as soon as they begin to change color.  The fruits may remain on the plant into October if uneaten.  Plants grown in full sun produce far more fruit than those growing in shade.  Seed collected from wild grown plants is more desirable from a ecological perspective than plants under cultivation. CF grows in a large geographical area under large climatic extremes. Local ecotypes should be protected and planted because they are adapted to the local environmental conditions which will ensure greater survival.

Seed handling: Seed is surrounded by a nutritious pulp.  Clean seed of pulp soon after collecting.  Fruits can be stored in sealed plastic bags for a one to two weeks to soften the pulp before cleaning. Macerate fruits by hand or in a food processor and float off the pulp and skins.  Cleaned seed should be stratified if seed will not be planted immediately.  Place seed in moist potting mix then provide 2 to 3 months of cold temperatures to satisfy the chilling requirement of the seed.

Germination requirements: A very high percentage of seed will germinate in early spring of the first year. Stratified seed needs to be watched closely for early germination. Sow seeds ¼”-1/2” deep in prepared seed beds or under natural conditions.  Seedlings will grow from a few inches to 10” the first year.  Seedlings require half shade the first year but will tolerate full sun after that.  Seedlings can be transplanted when large enough to handle.

Ecology: Cornus florida is an important understory tree in forests throughout the eastern United States.  CF produces nutritious fall and winter food resources for migrating songbirds.  CF has suffered significant mortality and decline in recent decades from an introduced pathogen called Dogwood anthracnose.  Anthracnose is an introduced fungal disease that has affected dogwood populations throughout the dogwood’s range and inflicted significant mortality.  Seed from surviving plants should be collected and dispersed to increase wild populations and help preserve local ecotypes that may be resistant to the disease.  Dogwood grows best on deep moist well drained soils.  It can also be found in upland forests with average moisture.  Dogwood likes sheltered locations protected from excessive wind. Dogwood also prefers growing along forest edges, forest openings and hedgrows where it flowers and fruits more prolifically with the additional sunlight.

Dogwood should be encorouaged both for its important wildlife value as well as great ornamental features. Cornus florida seed should be collected from wild grown plants wherever possible and widely planted in all suitable habitats. This will help inicrease the abundance of dogwood in the wild and reintroduce it into human disturbed landscapes.

Dogwood fruits ready for collecting in September after they have turned bright red.
Clean pulp from seed before planting or storage.

Dogwood seed germinating after stratification.

this page posted February 20, 2008