Cornus florida 'Cherokee Chief'

Cornus florida 'Cherokee Chief' is a deciduous flowering dogwood known for its deep rose-red to ruby-red spring display. What appear to be four large flower petals are actually notched bracts surrounding clusters of tiny yellow-green flowers. Dark green, oval leaves fill the branches after flowering and provide a leafy summer canopy before developing rich red to purplish tones in fall. Clusters of glossy red fruit can follow the flowers, providing additional seasonal interest and food for birds.

'Cherokee Chief' is a cultivated selection of Cornus florida, a flowering dogwood native to eastern North America. Introduced in the 1950s, it develops into a small, rounded tree with spreading branches and a graceful, layered appearance. Its compact scale works particularly well as a specimen near a home, within mixed tree and shrub plantings, or along woodland edges where its spring flowers and autumn foliage can be viewed against an evergreen backdrop.