Life History & Disturbance Response of Cornus florida flowering dogwood

Family: Cornaceae
Guild: opportunistic, fast-growing understory tolerant
Functional Lifeform: small deciduous tree
Ecological Role: typical understory tree in a wide range of forest types; grows rapidly when young; older trees are slow-growing and very persistent
Lifespan, yrs (typical/max): Information Not Found/125
Shade Tolerance: very tolerant
Height, m: 9-12
Canopy Tree: no
Pollination Agent: insects
Seeding, yrs (begins/optimal/declines): 6/15/Information Not Found
Mast Frequency, yrs: 1
New Cohorts Source: seeds or sprouts
Flowering Dates: late spring
Flowers/Cones Damaged by Frost: no
Seedfall Begins: early fall
Seed Banking: 1 yr +
Cold Stratification Required: yes
Seed Type/Dispersal Distance/Agent: drupe/ variable/ gravity, birds, other animals
Season of Germination: spring
Seedling Rooting System: shallow
Sprouting: stump sprouts and layerings common
Establishment Seedbed Preferences
Substrate: variable
Light: overstory shade
Moisture: moist required
Temperature: neutral
Disturbance response:
Fire: Flowering dogwood is well-adapted to occasional fire. In the forests where dogwood grows, fires are usually low to moderate in intensity, and generally burn during the dormant season. Frequent fires may reduce or eliminate flowering dogwood. Although a very thin-barked species that is susceptible to topkilling, it sprouts prolifically from the root collar and may increase in density on burned sites. Seedling establishment may occur from surviving trees onsite or from offsite seeds carried by birds or other animals.
Weather: Dogwood is intolerant of flooding and drought.
Air pollution: Flowering dogwood is tolerant to sulphur dioxide. Symptoms of foliar injury have been noted in areas of high ambient ozone and after ozone fumigation.
Exotics: Dogwood anthracnose (Discula destructiva) is a disease of unknown origin, first reported in 1978. Leaf, twig, and branch infections lead to lethal stem infections. Both eastern and western dogwood species are susceptible to it, and it has spread widely.