Missouri Plants White flowering dogwood   (Cornus florida) Tracheophyta: Angiosperm: Dicot: Dogwood (Cornaceae) Native North American plant Habitat: shaded regions of woods. ID Features: white flowers with 4 petals (not actually petals though), oval untoothed leaves. Natural History: Dogwood is a small understory tree with simple leaves and yellow flowers. Each flower cluster is surrounded by 4 large white bracts that look like petals. Its fruit, a bright red drupe, is eaten by birds which distribute the seeds.

The information is from: Missouri Wildflowers by Edgar Denison, 5th Edition, Missouri Department of Conservation, ©1998.