Kousa Dogwood – Cornus kousa

Kousa Dogwood flowers

This is another spring flowering tree imported to North America from the Orient. Native to China, Japan and Korea. It is later flowering than the native flowering dogwood that blooms in early April here. This variety starts blooming in late May and will often continue bloom as late as July.

The fruit is edible raw or cooked, they are juicy and sweet. Although they are very seedy, they are nice in small quantities out of hand. The skin is thick and tough, but the pulp inside is almost custard like in texture.

The fruit is an important food source for many species of birds, who eat them very quickly. There is no known toxicity.

Flowering Dogwood – Cornus florida

Flowering Dogwood – pink flowered cultiver

In the eastern part of North America, from southern Maine in the north, to northern Florida in the south, west to Kansas, Texas and Illinois this small understory tree grows with abandon. It has been placed on the protected list in many states. In early April the trees bloom in the wild with white bracts surrounding the small, inconspicuous flowers. In cultivation the colors range from white through pink and sometimes almost true red.

During the time of the American Revolution certain medicines were hard to come by. One of which was Peruvian bark, and Dogwood bark was easily substituted for it. It has proven effective when the Peruvian bark has not worked for malaria like symptoms. In parts of Mexico they use cornine in medicine which is found in Dogwood bark.

A tea substitute can be made from the bark, and the fruit can be eaten when the seed is removed. Mixed with other fruit and mashed can be made into jams.

The wood is hard, heavy, and strong, it has been used to make shuttlecocks, tool handles, wheel cogs, mauls, hayforks, and pulleys. It has on occasion been used to make golf club heads, roller skate wheels, jeweler’s blocks, knitting needles, and woodcut blocks. Native Americans employed the roots to make a red dye. And a black ink was made from the bark mixed with gum arabic and iron sulfate.

It is the state flower of Virginia. It is also the state tree for Missouri. Fayetteville, N.C. has an annual Dogwood Festival in April

Dogwood, Kousa – Cornus kousa

Kousa Dogwood Flowers

The Chinese dogwood (Cornus kousa) is a later flowering form of dogwood. This Dogwood flowers for a long time beginning in late May and often lasts into July.

There are no known uses in medicine, but the fruit is edible, being juicy and sweet.

The fruits are an important food source for dozens of species of birds.

In magic use it Keeps writings and meetings secret, therefore is an excellent herb for the Book of Shadows. An oil of the flowers is priceless in sealing letters and keeping unintended eyes from secret writings. Powdered flowers and dried bark may be used as incense. Place the sap of the dogwood onto a handkerchief on Midsummer Eve. This will grant any wish you have as long as you carry it faithfully. Dogwood leaves or wood can be placed in protective amulets.

 

Dogwood, Flowering – Cornus florida

Pink Dogwood Flowers

This appears in the wild in eastern North America where it is considered an understorey tree. It will grow up to 10m in height

The common name ‘dogwood’ is a corruption of ‘dagwood’ , which comes from the Old English word ‘dag’, meaning dagger.

Surprisingly the bark waas used to make teas and quinine substitutes. The fruit may be removed from the around the seed, mashed, mixed with other fruit and made into a jam.

In magic use it is much-used by the gypsies for basket making, the lovely red twigs are burned and the ash boiled into a thick mixture which is combined with the gypsy’s blood. This is then smeared onto ‘promise paper’ (birch bark), which has been written with a wish. Such a wish is sure to come true. Dogwood is one of the nine woods traditionally placed in the traditional Celtic Druid balefire.

Some Native American peoples made a scarlet dye from the roots of flowering dogwood. A black ink can be made from the bark mixed with gum arabic and iron sulphate