Swamp Dogwood
Swamp Dogwood (Cornus foemina) grows to 12 to 15 feet tall and is a deciduous shrub or shrubby small tree. The foliage is similar in size and shape to Flowering Dogwood and it can show a touch of fall color with some fall chill. Small, white flowers make up the convex to flat-topped flower clusters that produces an attractive display in the spring. The fruits are bright blue and add subtle ornament as well as attracts a variety of birds. The tree is also a host plant for the Spring Azure Butterfly. This is the most widely and naturally distributed native Dogwood in Florida, growing in wet hammocks and swamp forests, from the Everglades and northward through the state. It will tolerate short periods of inundation with water. Plant this small tree in full sun to bright shade where a beautiful specimen tree or a woodland effect is desired in moist to wet soils.