Tree Features: Dogwood

Pictured above is a flowering dogwood (left) and a roughleaf dogwood (right). There are a number of species of dogwoods all but one has opposite leaf arrangement. The Alternate-Leaf Dogwood is the one exception. Dogwoods are usually shrubs to small trees and can easily be recognized by the veins in their leaves. If you see a small tree who’s veins curve away from the midrib and then curve back forming something like this ((())) then it is a dogwood.

Fruit is an food source for songbirds and deer will occasionally browse on the leaves when the leaves are young. Not something you would plant FOR deer.