Fall Magic: Dogwood Red

Signs of fall begin by late August, in the Ozarks, when sassafras leaves tease us with orange and yellow hues, and in September, when the berries on the dogwoods begin turning a bright red, and birds and squirrels compete in getting to them first. (Dogwood berries never last long!) However, the fruit of the dogwood is poisonous to humans. Dogwood leaves begin turning in September, too, starting the procession of fall magic with their brilliant show of red, orange and scarlet.

The flowering dogwood, Cornus florida, is the state tree of Missouri, (and Virginia) and no wonder, it grows in great profusion throughout the state. My own woods are full of them. A native, small, deciduous tree of North America, dogwood is found from southern Ontario and Maine, south to Florida and Texas, and west to Kansas.

The flowering dogwood is admired and loved in all seasons. In the spring, its white blossoms turn the woods into a wonderland. But those showy white blossoms that we think of as the flowers are actually the leaves of the true flowers, which are small, dense, greenish yellow clusters. In the summer, its paired oval leaves are olive green above and covered with silvery hairs underneath, while in the winter, the dogwood's button shaped buds adorn the twigs, while its interestingly-shaped, bent branches, and gray, rough bark create lovely winter silhouettes.

Native Americans planted their corn when the dogwoods bloomed. They used the tree as a source of medicine as well. The bark was simmered in water and used as a remedy to relieve sore, aching muscles. A tea made of the bark was used to promote sweating and break a fever. Soon, physicians and herbalists adopted the practice. Dogwood bark tea was widely used during the Civil War, in the treatment of malaria, when during the blockade of southern ports, cinchona bark, the source of quinine, became unavailable.

In my woods, dogwoods are an understory tree, growing beneath the oaks and hickories and maples. Dogwood is very tolerant of shade, which keeps it shielded from high temperatures. Because of its root system being extremely shallow, dogwood is susceptible to drought. The tree rarely grows higher than 40 feet tall, and the diameter of the trunk rarely exceeds 16 inches.

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