Cornus florida Cultivars S-Z

'Rebecca's Appalachian Angel'

A large-leaved, large-bracted white cultivar discovered as a wild seedling on a steep bank in Alcoa, Tennessee in 2018. Leaves may attain dimensions of 20 × 13 cm, and have a pronounced yellowish midvein. The flimsy bracts move in the slightest breeze (hence the cultivar name). Not patented, but released by the University of Tennessee as part of their Appalachian series (Trigiano et al. 2023).

'Spring Grove'

Vigorous, to 6 m tall, with a broad habit and bright red autumn foliage; one of the first white cultivars to be grown commercially, selected in the mid 1970s by Thomas Smith, Cincinnati, Ohio for hardiness (buds undamaged at –32°C), and prolific flowering and fruit-set (often 2–3 inflorescences per branchlet) (US PP08500 P; Cappiello & Shadow 2005).

'Spring Song'

Vibrant rose-red bracts; introduced by Wayside Gardens, Ohio in 1962, having been selected by Hoyt’s Sons, New Canaan, Connecticut some years previously (Wyman 1963).

'Springtime'

Early flowering, with clear-white involucres up to 12.5 cm across and a distinctive purple tinge to the leaf undersides; introduced by E.C.Kern, Wyoming, Ohio in 1960 (Santamour & McArdle 1985; Cappiello & Shadow 2005).

'Sterling Silver'

Slow-growing with variegated leaves, a dark-green central blaze with irregular white or cream margins, said not to burn in full sun; layered habit (Witte et al. 2000). Leaves slightly deformed, undulating (Hatch 2018–2020).

'Stokes' Pink'

A profusely flowering form with clear rich pink bracts, selected by James A. Foret of the University of Southwestern Louisiana. Forms a ‘graceful, round-headed tree’ to 5–6m, with red and purple autumn foliage: ‘the best and most reliable pink dogwood for the [American] Deep South’ (Berry 1990).

'Sunset'

A vigorous, variegated sport of ‘Cherokee Chief’, introduced by Commercial Nursery Company, Tennessee and patented in 1986 (PP 06305 P). New growth is tipped pinkish-red, the leaves olive green with a substantial yellow margin and occasional pink-red tint. In autumn the foliage takes on shades of red with a lighter margin. Bracts are purplish red-pink, the diameter of the involucre approx. 7–10 cm. Shows good anthracnose resistance. (PP 06305 P; Cappiello & Shadow 2005).

Cornus florida 'Sunset' flowering on a stand inside the Great Pavilion at the 2026 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, 18 May 2026. Image Tom Christian.

Foliage on a plant of Cornus florida 'Sunset' used in a display inside the Great Pavilion at the 2026 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, 18 May 2026. Image Tom Christian.

Cornus florida 'Sunset' at the Jardin de l'Argoat (Bretagne, France; 13 June 2015). Image James Garnett.

Cornus florida 'Sunset' Cherokee Sunset™ in flower. Image Van Ooi, Reeuwijk.

Autumnal foliage of Cornus florida 'Sunset' Cherokee Sunset™ demonstrating how it earned its name. Image Van Ooi, Reeuwijk.

'Suwanee Squat'

Not an undignified yoga pose, but a true dwarf form of Cornus florida growing to 1.5 m tall. Branches spreading, bracts white. Grown from seed collected in Suwanee Co., Florida by Bob Simon (Hatch 2018–2020).

Cornus florida 'Suwanee Squat' in flower at the JC Raulston Arboretum (12 June 2016). Image Tony Avent.

Cornus florida 'Suwanee Squat' is an extremely attractive foliage plant in spring. Image Tony Avent.

'Sweetwater Red'

A vigorous, upright selection introduced by Howell (not Boyd) Nursery, Tennessee in 1961, one of the most widely sold red-bracted cultivars in the twentieth century (Moreau et al. 2024). The bracts are deep pink with a white base, the young foliage bronze tinged, turning purple-red in autumn. (Cappiello & Shadow 2005). The cultivar has become very jumbled, the genetic study by Moreau et al. (2024) finding that plants at three American arboreta (two sourced from the same nursery) were genetically distinct. The true clone is one of the ‘Howell Hybrids’ batch, of which one parent was ‘Prosser’ (Witte et al. 2000) – see also ‘Cherokee Chief’.

Cornus florida 'Sweetwater Red' (Acc. 83684, Wespelaar Arboretum, Haacht, Belgium; 9 May 1998). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

Cornus florida 'Sweetwater Red' (Acc. 84730, Wespelaar Arboretum, Haacht, Belgium; 28 April 2007). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

Autumn colour on Cornus florida 'Sweetwater Red' 83684-reu Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

Strongly orthotropic young shoots on Cornus florida 'Sweetwater Red' (Acc. 83684, Wespelaar Arboretum, Haacht, Belgium; 13 May 1992). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

Cornus florida 'Sweetwater Red' (Acc. 83684, Wespelaar Arboretum, Haacht, Belgium; 9 May 1998). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

'Tricolor'

A variegated selection, the leaves green with white margins splashed with pink, giving a distinct tricoloured effect; prone to scorch in exposed situations (Cappiello & Shadow 2005). Often labelled ‘Welchii’, but in that cultivar – perhaps now not so common – the foliage is yellow- and red-variegated (see ‘Welchii’).

Cornus florida 'Tricolor' (grown as 'Welchii') (Parc de Procé, Nantes, France; 5 May 2026) Image James Garnett.

Leaves of Cornus florida 'Tricolor' (grown as 'Welchii') (Parc de Procé, Nantes, France; 5 May 2026) Image James Garnett.

Pink-tinged foliage of Cornus florida 'Tricolor' (grown as 'Welchii') (Parc de Procé, Nantes, France; 5 May 2026) Image James Garnett.

'Variegata'

Both Gayraud (2013) and Cappiello and Shadow (2005) question the validity of this cultivar name on the basis that modern plants grown under this name do not correspond with a reference plant – which they do not identify – that (they claim) had green leaves with ‘regular’ white margins. However, this may be based on a misapprehension: the cultivar ‘Variegata’ was described as ‘new’ in the spring 1911 catalogue of Painesville Nursery, Lake County, Ohio, and is figured on the cover of the catalogue, showing foliage with irregular marginal variegation: the text described the leaves as ‘beautifully blotched, tinted and bordered creamy white in early spring, changing to carmine centre and crimson margin in mid-summer and fall, holding [their] magnificent coloring the entire season. The best variegated leaved tree that will thrive in our climate (Painesville Nurseries 1911). The bract colour is not mentioned. The plant is said to have been discovered in a bed of seedling C. florida several years previously.

Cornus florida 'Variegata' figured on the back cover of Painesville Nurseries' 1911 catalogue (Storrs & Harrison Co.). Image Internet Archive.

'Weaver's White'

Vigorous and floriferous, white-bracted, of northern Florida origin. Cappiello and Shadow (2005) suggest it may be the same as the wild-selected hardy Florida variety ‘Weaver’ with ‘bronze foliage’ listed by Glen St. Mary Nursery in 1941 (Howard 1961).

'Welchii'

In the United States, the name ‘Welchii’ has been applied to two different variegated forms; we distinguish these as the green-red-yellow ‘Welchii’ (probably the yellow-variegated form offered commercially) and the green-pink-white ‘Tricolor’ (a later selection). The name ‘Welchii’ appeared for the first time in 1929 in the catalogue of the Cole Nursery (Painesville, Ohio) (Cole Nursery Company 1929), having been selected – according to Wyman (1960) – by Mark Welch. The earliest descriptions of the ‘Variegated Dogwood’ or ‘Welch Variegated Dogwood’ refer to its ‘leaves variegated red and yellow’ ‘(Thomsen Nursery Co. 1930) or ‘yellow-variegated foliage with red suffusion […] Very rare’ (Thomsen Nursery Co. 1931). This description is repeated in Bailey’s Hortus Second (Bailey & Bailey 1941), and continues to be found as late as the early 1960s: ‘[b]eautiful variegated yellow-bronze and red leaves and white flowers […] very scarce’ (Carroll Gardens 1961). (Puzzlingly, Thomsen (1930) described the bracts as corresponding to those of Cornus florida ‘Rubra’, while the Carrol Gardens and Kingsville plants were white-bracted.) Wyman (1960) noted that the variegation in ‘Welchii’ was unstable, apt to revert to the green of the species, and also advertised the existence of a better-coloured strain of ‘Welchii’ grown by Kingsville Nurseries, Maryland, advertised as white-bracted, with variegated yellow and green leaves and superb autumn colour (Kingsville Nurseries 1955).

All of these early descriptions of ‘Welchii’ emphasise the yellow component of variegation. ‘Tricolor’, by contrast, lacks any impression of yellow, the colour scheme being distinctly white, green and pink.

'Welch's Junior Miss'

Bracts deep red with white base and notches; a wild selection from near Mobile, Alabama in 1957 by Welch Bros. Nursery (Witte et al. 2000). Bartram’s miraculous dogwood grove (Bartram 1791) was nearby – see the species entry.

'White Cloud'

Bronze foliage and creamy-white bracts, flowering prolifically even at a young age; raised by Wayside Gardens, Ohio and introduced before 1946 (Cappiello & Shadow 2005; Edwards & Marshall 2019).

Cornus florida 'White Cloud' (Acc. 83165, Wespelaar Arboretum, Haacht, Belgium; 9 May 1998). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

Inflorescences of Cornus florida 'White Cloud' (Acc. 83165, Wespelaar Arboretum, Haacht, Belgium; 9 May 1990). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.