Flower Notes:
Yellow (Profusely borne yellow flowers in March before leaves, each 0.06" together on 0.75" umbels, quite effective so early in spring)
Foliage Notes:
Green (Summer foliage); Red-Violet (Usually not outstanding purplish-red leaves in the fall, often drop green early)
Fruit Notes:
Red (Bright red, slightly oblong fruits (0.5" wide) emerging in the fall, often partially hidden by foliage; edible, but astringent)
Soil Notes:
Prefers rich, well-drained soils, although very adaptable relative to other dogwoods
Diagnostic Characteristics:
Leaves opposite, simple, ovate to elliptic, 2-4" long, 3-5 pairs of veins, dark green above. Dogwood veins sweep toward, but never contact, the leaf margin. Similar to C. officianalis except C. mas pedicels are half the length, flowers emerge later, fruits ripen earlier, and there are no brown tufts of hair on the leaf underside along the vein axils. Exfoliating, scaly, flaking bark is gray brown to a rich brown and attractive during the winter.
