Cornus Florida ‘Cherokee Chief’ – Cherokee Chief Dogwood

Botanical Name: Cornus florida ‘Cherokee Chief’

Alternate Name: Cherokee Chief Flowering Dogwood

The Cherokee Chief Dogwood (Cornus florida ‘Cherokee Chief’) is a wonderful ornamental tree for the landscape, prized for the profusion of springtime blooms it produces. This small deciduous tree has a graceful pyramidal form that can flatten on the top as it matures. It grows to a height and width of 15-30 feet. This tree is native to eastern North America and can easily be described as one of the region’s most beautiful native trees.

The showy, deep pink or red blooms of the Cherokee Chief Dogwood cover the tree in April or May. This tree can be planted with the Redbud (Cercis) species for a spectacular spring-blooming garden. The flat flowers consist of 4 bracts rather than petals, with the yellow-green, smaller true flower parts in the center. The flowers are approximately 3-4 inches in diameter.

In the late summer or fall, the tree produces bright red berries, inedible to humans but very attractive to birds. They can persist on the tree throughout the fall and into the winter. The leaves of the Cherokee Chief Dogwood are oval and dark green with the typical dogwood parallel venation. The foliage turns a beautiful brick red color in the fall.

The Cherokee Chief Dogwood can be susceptible to anthracnose, powdery mildew, and canker.