Cornus florida Cultivars N-R

'Ozark Spring'

Selected by John Pair, Kansas State University, from approx. 125 plants grown from seed collected in the western Ozarks in Oklahoma (Cookston Hills) in the quest for extremely winter-hardy flower buds; plants have flowered after winter temperatures dipped to –34°C; white bracts and ‘wine-red’ autumn foliage (Witte et al. 2000). The synonyms are reported by Cappiello and Shadow (2005).

'Pendula'

A weeping form found ‘by Dr. Thompson, of Maryland, in the woods’ and sold to Thomas Meehan, who introduced it as C. florida ‘Pendula’ through his Philadelphia nursery in the 1870s (Meehan 1882; Gardeners’ Chronicle 1877). Meehan’s tree was unusual among weeping trees in forming a central leader ‘which shoots perfectly upright, always forming a straight trunk, while the side branches gracefully sweep the ground’ (Meehan’s Nurseries 1894). For the nurseryman, this had the advantage of rendering topworking unnecessary: early illustrations of young trees show a broadly pear-shaped silhouette of foliage, with the sparsely furnished newer branches perched incongruously above. Established trees maintain this habit more or less, filling out and becoming less columnar, but still with the rather untidy top, and the large leaves strangely out of proportion with the whole. The overall appearance is rather gawky, aptly characterised as ‘lumpy haystacks’ by Cappiello & Shadow (2005), who also note the occurrence of misshapen leaves and bracts.

Witte et al. (2000) note that several weeping forms appear to be in circulation under the name ‘Pendula’ – a name that properly applies to Thomas Meehan’s clone of rather unusual habit. The forma name pendula (Dippel) Schelle (syn. var. pendula Dippel) is available for these plants, if no cultivar name has been applied.

Thomas Meehan's Cornus florida 'Pendula' from the Meehan's Nurseries catalogue (1894). Image Internet Archive..

'Pink Flame'

A sport of Cornus florida ‘Welchii’, introduced in 1978 by Mel Wills, Oregon (PP4300). Fast growing habit, leaves green, yellow and pink. Bracts pink, heat tolerant (Cappiello & Shadow 2005).

Plena Group

Circulating under the name ‘Plena’ there appear to be a number of different sterile, pluribracteate selections in which the flowers are replaced by proliferating bracts – in the words of Cappiello and Shadow (2005), ‘the name ‘Plena’ seems to be a taxonomic dumping ground for multibracted forms of questionable lineage’, and is therefore probably better treated as a cultivar group.

By definition the group will include all pluribracteate cultivars, including ‘Eternal Dogwood’, ‘Appalachian Joy’, and the old van Lindley clone ‘Pluribracteata’, which are treated individually in the present account. Moreau et al. (2024) found some plants named ‘Eternal Dogwood’ and ‘Pluribracteata’ genetically identical with material labelled ‘Plena’, though some forms of ‘Plena’ have up to 13 bracts (against 6–8 in ‘Pluribracteata’ as described); the possibility of misidentification means that it would be premature to reduce the cultivars to synonymy at this stage, and further investigation is needed.

Maturing involucre of a plant grown as Cornus florida 'Alba Plena' (Acc. 92198, Wespelaar Arboretum, Haacht, Belgium; 30 April 1998). The large proximal bracts, in two decussate pairs, are recognisable, with a disorganised proliferation of additional filling the centre of the involucre, the true flowers greatly reduced in number. Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

'Pluribracteata'

A 6–8-bracted form introduced to cultivation from a wild collection from Orange County, North Carolina by J. D. van Lindley in 1912; small bractlets replace the mostly aborted flowers (Arnold Arboretum 1928). The clone was propagated by budding (at least several thousand plants were produced) and was widely distributed (van Lindley 1912), accounting for the occurrence of old ‘Pluribracteata’ specimens as far away as Swarthmore, Pennsylvania (see images). Bean (1976) referred an old tree at Guilford College, Greensboro, North Carolina to the clone. The original plant is the type of Rehder’s Cornus florida f. pluribracteata, described in 1926. Cappiello and Shadow (2005) distinguish this cultivar from ‘Plena’ on the basis of the latter’s more congested involucres (up to 13 bracts) – it is evident that spontaneous proliferation of bracts is not uncommon within the species.

Cornus florida 'Pluribracteata' at the Scott Arboretum, Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania (28 April 2009). Image John Grimshaw.

Cornus florida 'Pluribracteata' unfurling from greenish-white 'buds' at the Scott Arboretum (28 April 2009). Image John Grimshaw.

Cornus florida 'Pluribracteata' fully expanded at the Scott Arboretum on 2 May 2009, a few days after the previous photograph was taken. The intervening period was extremely hot and spring expanded before one's eyes. Image John Grimshaw.

Lindley's New Double-Flowering Dogwood, advertised in The National Nurseryman 20(8), (August 1912), p. 309. Image J. van Lindley Nursery Co..

A younger specimen of Cornus florida 'Pluribracteata' in autumn colour at Scott Arboretum, Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania, USA, 31 October 2025). Image John Grimshaw.

The old tree of Cornus florida 'Pluribracteata' at Scott Arboretum, Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania, USA, 31 October 2025. This is the tree photographed in flower in April 2009, now looking rather elderly. Image John Grimshaw.

'Poinsett'

A compact and vigorous selection with yellow fruits and elegantly pointed leaves (Santamour & McArdle 1985; Witte et al. 2000).

'Prairie Pink'

An extremely hardy selection with thicker leaves than in the typical form, proven hardy in the cold continental conditions of Wichita, Kansas where the original plant grows; selected by John Pair, Kansas State University (Dirr 2009; Cappiello & Shadow 2005).

'President Ford'

Clear white flowers, soon becoming red as they mature and variegated leaves with a central mid-green blaze on a yellow field. The foliage is attractive, and the variegation said to hold through several hard frosts, though Gayraud finds the overall effect dull. Discovered in 1968 at Verkade’s Nursery, Wayne, New Jersey, which offered it in 1976–1977 under the name ‘President Gerald R. Ford’ (an invalid cultivar name, containing four elements) (Santamour & McArdle 1985; Dirr 2009; Gayraud 2013). The ‘G. H.’ in the (European) synonym is plausibly attributable to a typographical error or misprint, but Gayraud’s ‘Georges-Henri Ford’ is truly mystifying.

Cornus florida 'G. H. Ford' at Wespelaar Arboretum (Acc. 92472) (2 May 2020). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

Clear white flowers and attractively two-toned variegated foliage of Cornus florida 'G. H. Ford' at Wespelaar Arboretum (Acc. 92472) (2 May 2020). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

Clear white flowers and attractively two-toned variegated foliage of Cornus florida 'G. H. Ford' at Wespelaar Arboretum (Acc. 92472) (14 May 2005). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

Foliage of Cornus florida 'G. H. Ford' at Wespelaar Arboretum (Acc. 92472) (6 May 2005). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

'Prosser'

Inflorescences dark red but untidy, the new leaves dark reddish-green. The plant has a poor habit. Discovered by Bruce Howell near Howell Nursery, Tennessee around 1920 (Witte et al. 2000).

'Pumpkin Patch'

Deep pink bracts, exceptional golden-orange autumn foliage; young stems remain orange pigmentation through the winter (Frett 2018); introduced by Don Shadow (Dawes Arboretum 2026).

'Purple Glory'

Upright, with very deep pink, narrow, often twisted bracts, foliage deep green, emerging purplish; susceptible to stem canker (Cappiello & Shadow 2005). A rapid grower, discovered as a seedling in 1966 on the nursery of Boyd Brothers, McMinnville, Tennessee, the patent filed in 1979 (Witte et al. 2000; US PP 04627 P). Similar in other characters to ‘Sweetwater Red’. Santamour & McArdle (1985) note that ‘Purple Splendor’ is the same plant. Junker (2014) describes the bracts as the ‘deepest red-purple of them all!’

Inflorescences and emerging foliage of Cornus florida 'Purple Glory' (Acc. 93080, Wespelaar Arboretum; 25 April 2022. Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

Characteristically narrow bracts of Cornus florida 'Purple Glory' (Acc. 93080, Wespelaar Arboretum; 28 April 2007). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

'Rainbow'

A vigorous, multi-coloured sport from a damaged stump discovered in Canton, Ohio by A. Marzilli in the early 1960s, patent filed in 1965 (PP 02743 P). The leaves have well-defined green centres surrounded by an irregular margin that varies from pale green to yellow, the palette shifting towards red and orange in autumn. The breeders claimed up to four colours can at times be seen in a single leaf (hence the name); however, Cappiello and Shadow (2005) note that reddish pigmentation may depend on stress. In practice, the overall effect is of a yellow-green leaf with a central green flame. A position in shade minimises summer scorching and improves the autumn display. One of the most attractively variegated cultivars, but particularly susceptible to powdery mildew (Witte et al. 2000) and spot anthracnose (Doubrava et al. 2024).

Variegated leaves of Cornus florida 'Rainbow' (Arboretum Cimetière Parc, Nantes, France; 5 June 2020). Image James Garnett.

Cornus florida 'Rainbow' in flower at Wespelaar Arboretum, Haacht, Belgium (Acc. 92473) (28 April 2019). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

Cornus florida 'Rainbow' in flower at Wespelaar Arboretum, Haacht, Belgium (Acc. 92473) (26 April 2020). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

Autumnal colour of Cornus florida 'Rainbow' (Arboretum Cimetière Parc, Nantes, France; 20 October 2016). Image James Garnett.

The tiered habit of Cornus florida 'Rainbow' (Arboretum Cimetière Parc, Nantes, France; 5 June 2020). Image James Garnett.

'Red Giant'

A Japanese introduction (Akiri Shibamichi, 1981) with pink bracts, suffused white at the apex, not much larger than other American selections (Cappiello & Shadow 2005; Edwards & Marshall 2019).

Cornus florida 'Red Giant' (Acc. 89405, Wespelaar Arboretum, Haacht, Belgium; 14 May 2005). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

Inflorescences of Cornus florida 'Red Giant' (Acc. 89405, Wespelaar Arboretum, Haacht, Belgium; 9 May 1998). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

'Rutnam'

A heavily blooming selection with small deep rose-red bracts and a white halo around the green-yellow central button. A densely-branching ‘semi-dwarf’ tree (mature height 2–3 m), introduced by the Rutgers dogwood breeding programme (Rutgers University 2025).

'Rutnut'

A true dwarf with a low rounded habit, the mature height around 2 m (90 cm after five years). Bracts are pink-red. Introduced by the Rutgers Dogwood breeding programme, patented in 2004 (US PP 15219). Witte et al. (2000) listed a rare floriferous white dwarfing variety, ‘Pygmy’, apparently no longer obtainable.