The Cornaceae or dogwood family is composed of 10 genera with about 90 species. Half of the species, 45, are in the genus Cornus. Most Cornus are native to the Northern Hemisphere—Europe, Asia, and North America and range from the tiny, 9-inch tall, cold climate bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) to the towering, 75-foot, warm temperate mountain dogwood (Cornus nuttallii).

The flowers of the flowering dogwood are creamy yellow and borne in dense terminal clusters (heads) subtended by four white notched bracts. Each flower can produce a drupe (single seeded fruit); the drupes are clustered (like the flowers) and ripen red in the autumn. Dogwood trees frequently produce good amounts of fruits (and seeds) every other year.

The species, almost invariably, has white bracts. Rarely, a specimen was found with pink or red bracts—Cornus florida forma rubra. Most of the deep pink- or red-bracted dogwoods are horticultural varieties created by crossing and back-crossing 'rubra' trees. These colorful dogwoods seldom come true from seed; pink and red varieties are propagated by grafting.

(Compiled from: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, C. Brickell and J.D. Zuk, eds. American Horticultural Society, DK Publishing, NY, 1996; Hortus Third, Staff of the L.H. Bailey Hortorium, NY State College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Macmillan, NY, 1976; and "Flowering Dogwood", B.F. McLemore, Silvics Manual, Vol.2, USDA Forestry Service Northeastern Area, 2005.)