Cornus controversa seed
LATIN NAME: CORNUS CONTROVERSA
COMMON NAME: Giant Dogwood
High in the mountain woods of the east, the giant dogwood grows as a tall, deciduous tree with the broad, tiered branches reaching out in clean horizontal layers, the oval, pointed leaves turning clear yellow in the autumn and the flat clusters of small, white flowers opening above the foliage in the early summer. It steadily establishes a rounded crown, eventually 5-10 metres tall. Site it in full sun, in deep, fertile ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The giant dogwood appears in the studies of the mountain forest trees of the east, its tiered crown and its autumn-yellow leaves keeping it in view in the work on the cool-temperate woodlands and the bird-feeding trees of the high forest. The research looks at the way the horizontal branches build the layered crown, the blue-black fruits ripen and feed the mountain birds, and the seed biology of the hard, grooved seeds.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
In the woodland garden and the high-country planting, the giant dogwood spreads the clean, layered branches and lights the early summer with the flat white flower heads, the blue-black fruits drawing the thrushes and the waxwings in the autumn. The tall, graceful tree is a piece of the mountain forest brought into the garden, and the tree makes the fine specimen, the woodland tree and the tree of the cool, moist garden. It is a tree for the open, sunny, deep and cool place.
To grow the Giant Dogwood from seed, wash the seeds from the blue-black fruits and give them a cold spell.
Wash the seeds from the blue-black fruits and give them a cold spell, and keep the young trees in the open, sunny spot. The leaves turn clear yellow in the autumn.
LATIN NAME: Cornus controversa
COMMON NAME: Giant Dogwood, Table Dogwood, Wedding Cake Tree
The giant dogwood is one of the most graceful trees of the garden, and its layered branches have the calm, architectural beauty of a pagoda. The species develops an upright, columnar form, around sixty centimetres high. It is called the wedding cake tree for its elegant, layered form, and it is one of the most beautiful trees of the temperate garden, at its best in late spring and summer.
The giant dogwood belongs to the dogwood family, Cornaceae, and it is native to China, Korea, the Himalayas and Japan. It is a deciduous tree with multiple tiered branches, and it is widely grown as an ornamental in temperate gardens.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The giant dogwood has a genuine and growing place in both botanical and horticultural research. As a member of the dogwood family, it is of interest in plant science, and researchers have studied its classification, its relationships with the other dogwoods and its place in the genus, since the dogwoods are a widely studied group in plant taxonomy. The tree has also been studied in horticulture for its value as an ornamental, prized for its elegant, tiered form, its white summer flowers and its handsome foliage, and it is widely grown in temperate gardens, where it has been used in the breeding and selection of garden dogwoods. The species has also been studied in ecology for its role in the forests of its native range, and its fruits have been studied for their value to birds. For a tree of such architectural beauty, the giant dogwood has a steady and growing record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the giant dogwood is a generous tree of the garden and the forest. Its white flowers feed bees and other pollinators in early summer, its blue-black fruits feed birds, and its layered branches give shelter and nesting sites, while it is a valuable member of the forests of its native range.
Its economic value lies mainly in horticulture. It is one of the most beautiful and widely grown ornamental dogwoods, prized for its elegant, tiered form and its white summer bloom, and it is a favourite of temperate gardens and parks. For a grower, the giant dogwood is a valuable and rewarding tree, and for a gardener it brings the calm, layered beauty of the wedding cake tree. The seeds need a little cold — give them a spell in the fridge in damp compost, then sow them in a pot of moist, free-draining compost, keep them lightly watered, and theyll sprout steadily over a few weeks, growing on into a tree that will one day carry its tiers of white bloom.
Cornus controversa, Giant Dogwood , wedding cake tree Seeds
This large group of trees, shrubs and ground covers features plants with attractive flowers and foliage, colorful bark and dependable fall color. Dogwoods are often used as flowering accents, architectural screens or mat-like ground covers. Prune out the oldest branches every year to encourage new growth.