Leaf guide › Other hardwoods
Flowering dogwood
Cornus florida
Deep wine-red leaves and bright red berries in the forest understory.
Updated
- Fall color
- RedPurple
- Turns
- Early
- Leaves
- Opposite (in pairs)
- Size
- 3–6 in. long
- Found in
- Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest
How to recognize it
- Oval leaf with smooth, slightly wavy edges.
- Side veins curve upward to follow the edge toward the tip.
- Gently pull a leaf apart: thin, stretchy threads hold the halves together.
- Clusters of glossy red berries in fall.
Easy to confuse with
Worth knowing
Flowering dogwood is the state tree of Virginia and Missouri. Its berries are an important fall food for migrating songbirds.
Common questions
What color does flowering dogwood turn in fall?
Flowering dogwood turns red and purple in fall. Deep wine-red leaves and bright red berries in the forest understory.
When does flowering dogwood change color?
It’s one of the earlier trees to turn, often ahead of most of its neighbors.
How can you tell flowering dogwood from black gum?
Black gum: Leaves alternate along the twig, and the veins don’t arc toward the tip. Flowering dogwood: Oval leaf with smooth, slightly wavy edges.
Where does flowering dogwood grow?
In the lower 48, look for it in Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest.
See where the color is peaking today.
Open the foliage map