Types Of Dogwoods
What are dogwoods ? And what types of dogwoods are there? If you want your answer, just keep reading this article and you will learn everything there is to know.
Before we get into the various types of dogwoods, let’s start with some general information. Dogwoods are woody plants that belong to the family Cornaceae; the scientific term of this genus is Cornus. Most types of dogwoods are deciduous trees or shrubs, although some species that are evergreen and some that are considered herbaceous perennial subshrubs. Dogwoods typically have either bracts in the form of a petal ( in most cases white one), or petal-bearing flowers brought together in open clusters. Their leaves are toothed and have slightly curving veins that become more obvious to the naked eye the closer they get the leaf margins. The places that are especially rich in dogwoods (at least native ones) are North America and Eurasia.
There are about 50 to 60 species of dogwoods, that can range from a short shrub up to a tree 60 feet high; for the purposes of this article, however, we are only going to examine the three basic types of dogwoods : flowering dogwood, kousa dogwood, and giant dogwood.
Flowering dogwood is the most common among all types of dogwoods and is most commonly found in Eastern US; that is why it is also called American dogwood (or in some cases just dogwood). Trees tend to grow no less than fifteen feet and no more than thirty. Their flowers is in most cases white (although in some cases they might be pink or yellow), and they pop up in the beginning of the spring season. Flowering dogwoods are relatively low maintenance; although watering it every now and then won’t hurt them, they are considered drought tolerant trees.
Giant dogwood, on the other hand, this is a much taller tree that grows upwards at least 30 feet; in fact, you shouldn’t be surprised, if you happen to run into a giant dogwood 60 feet tall. It is a deciduous tree widely known for its beautiful creamy white and green foliage and its marvelous blooms. As amazing as it may sound, the giant dogwoods leaves can become up to seven inches long. Also a tree that is drought resistant, a tree that it is very likely to suffer from fungal diseases if it is being overwatered.
As for kousa dogwood, this is the opposite of giant dogwood in terms of size, since its height ranges between 3 and ten feet. Its flowers are white, although they slowly but surely turn into pink, while its leaves take a rather purplish red color in the fall, right before they start falling off. Since this moderately drought-tolerant type of dogwood is mostly found in China, it is very often called Chinese dogwood.
Other types of dogwoods that are also well-known are: pagoda dogwood, grey dogwood, pink dogwood, red dogwood, and cornelian cherry, as well as some hybrid types of dogwoods like aurora, celestial, and stellar pink.
