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State Trees
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The term floral emblem, which refers to flowers specifically,
is primarily used in Australia and Canada. In the United States, the term state flower
is more often used. |
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Virginia Symbols
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(Retired 1997),
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Virginia State Tree
Flowering Dogwood
(Cornaceae Cornus florida)
Adopted on February 24, 1956.
The dogwood, Cornaceae Cornus florida, was adopted as the state tree on February 24, 1956. The
dogwood is well distributed throughout the Commonwealth, and its beauty is symbolic of the many attractive features of
Virginia. The dogwood blooms in early spring and its blossom is a tiny cluster of flowers surrounded by four white
leaves that look like petals. In 1918, the state floral emblem commonly known as the American dogwood (Cornus florida)
was adopted. It was selected to foster a feeling of pride in our state and to stimulate an interest in the history and
traditions of the Commonwealth.
Description of the Virginia State Tree
Flowering dogwood is one of America's most popular ornamental trees. Known to most people simply as dogwood, it has other common names, including boxwood and cornel. The species name florida is Latin for flowering, but the showy petal-like bracts are not in fact flowers. The bright red fruit of this fast-growing short-lived tree are poisonous to humans but provide a great variety of wildlife with food. The wood is smooth, hard and close-textured and now used for specialty products.
Identification
- Leaf: Opposite, simple, arcuately veined, 3 to 6 inches long, oval in shape with an entire margin.
- Flower: Very small, but surrounded by 4 large white (occasionally pink) bracts, 2 inches in diameter. Appearing March to April in the south, June in the north.
- Fruit: A shiny, oval red drupe, 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, in clusters of 3 to 4. Maturing in September to October.
- Twig: Slender, green or purple, later turning gray, often with a glaucous bloom. The terminal flower buds are clove-shaped, vegetative buds resemble a cat claw.
- Bark: Gray when young, turning very scaly to blocky.
- Form: A small tree with a short trunk that branches low, producing a flat-topped crown. Branches are opposite, and assume a "candelabra" appearance.
Taxonomic Hierarchy of the Flowering Dogwood
| Kingdom |
Plantae -- Plants |
| Subkingdom |
Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants |
| Superdivision |
Spermatophyta – Seed plants |
| Division |
Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants |
| Class |
Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons |
| Subclass |
Rosidae – |
| Order |
Cornales – |
| Family |
Cornaceae – Dogwood family |
| Genus |
Cornus L. – dogwood |
| Species |
Cornus florida L. – flowering dogwood |
Source:
Dendrology at Virginia Tech
US Department of Agriculture
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State Trees
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All of the state
trees, except the Hawaii state tree, are native to the state in which they are designated.
tree \ˈtrē\
noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English trēow; akin to Old Norse trē tree, Greek
drys, Sanskrit dāru wood
Date: before 12th century
1 a: a woody perennial plant having a single usually elongate main stem generally
with few or no branches on its lower part
b: a shrub or herb of arborescent form <rose trees> <a
banana tree> |
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