Effect:
Sweat-forming, anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving
Areas of application:
Malaria, fever, cuts, burns, sores, skin sores, pain, sore muscles, painful joints
Plant parts used:
Fruits, leaves, bark, root bark
Collection time:
July to September
To find:
In eastern North America, in the understory or on the edge of forests.
Ingredients:
Quinine, anthocyanin
Miscellaneous:
The flowering dogwood grows as a deciduous shrub or as a small tree and can reach a height of up to 12 meters. The opposite, smooth leaves are oval and have pronounced parallel veins with a pointed end. The leaves are deep green on the upper side and velvety white on the underside and are 5 to 12.5 cm long. The veins curve downward as they approach the leaf edges. The white or pink flowers appear in April to May. The flowers appear before the leaves. The small flowers are located at the center of four showy, creamy white bracts that look like flower petals. Small red drupes form, each containing one or two seeds.
Flowering dogwood is used in eastern North America for natural plantings and hedges.
The plant is the state flower in the US states of Virginia and Missouri.