Dogwood

Cornus kousa, Kousa Dogwood.





















According to my notes from class, the bark is tan and gray and exfoliating, but I see brown too and hints of green. Large pointed apical flower buds are distinguishing and veins that curve in and follow the edge of the leaf. That I see.





















Much as I love Asian plants, I've got a sweet spot for our native Dogwood. The flowers are earlier and prettier, I think. I grew up with one in my backyard, which probably makes me partial to them. Too bad they are more susceptible to the anthracnose disease that hit in the late 70's and 80's than their asian cousins. I was reading earlier this year about how even Ronald Reagan, not a noted environmentalist, noticed the loss of our native dogwoods in the 80's to this disease. Supposedly he noticed the dieback of this understory tree while at Camp David and asked something like "What's wrong with the forest?"

The first Dogwood I saw blooming this year in Brooklyn was on April 10th. The picture below was taken by Joe in the Native Flora this year in April, probably around the 21st. He used film. Old school.