Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Cornales
Family: Cornaceae
Genus: Cornus
Species: Cornus florida
Cultivar name: Cornus florida 'Cherokee Chief'
Synonym: Cornus florida 'Royal Red'
Common name: ‘Cherokee Chief’ Flowering Dogwood, Cornus 'Cherokee Chief', Eastern flowering dogwood 'Cherokee Chief'
Cornus florida is a species of flowering plant in the family Cornaceae native to eastern and central North America and is the state tree of Virginia.
Cornus 'Cherokee Chief' is one of many selected flowering dogwood cultivars. It is a large deciduous, usually multitrunked, shrub to 6m in height and 3 m in width. Branches if left on the trunk will droop to the ground.
It has green, simple, ovate leaves which turn bronze/red in autumn. In late spring flower heads appear, these are >10cm in width, with four notched, deep rose-red bracts which subtend the small head of yellow flowers.
Photographed at Tupare Public Gardens, New Plymouth, October.
The flower buds opening.
Early November.
