Flowering Dogwood Cornus florida Dogwood Family (Cornaceae)

The Kentucky champion tree is in Warren County and is about 35 feet tall.1

Flowering dogwood is a beautiful native tree with four-season appeal.1

The wood of dogwood has a high resistance to sudden shock, making it a popular choice for making golf club heads and chisel handles. It is also used for mallet heads and wedges, as it can be hammered on the ends without splitting and mushrooming out. It was once used to make hay forks, hubs of small wheels, rake teeth and machinery bearings because it wears smoother as it is used.1

The dogwood trees have hard grayish bark that looks like alligator skin.2

References:
  1. Flowering Dogwood. University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment. https://www.uky.edu/hort/Flowering-Dogwood. No Publication Date. Accessed December 4, 2023.
  2. Flowering Dogwood Trees and Shrubs: Types, Leaves, Bark-Identification (With Pictures). LEAFY Place.  https://leafyplace.com/dogwood/#:~:text=To%20identify%20dogwood%20trees%2C%20look%20for%20their%20hard%2C,curved%20veins%20are%20very%20distinguishable%20on%20dogwood%20leaves. No Publication Date. Accessed December 4, 2023.
  3. https://www.thoughtco.com/thmb/q0jmX0diyScVyyrRbW4wK8ZAgU=/3872×2592/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/closeup-of-flowering-dogwoods-bloomingoutdoors-610083109-5c3df63f46e0fb000182a8b8.jpg
  4. https://plantitwild.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/FloweringDogwood-1.png
  5. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0062/8532/8445/products/White_Dogwood_17_BB_1024x1024.jpg?v=1595431377
  6. https://www.pfw.edu/microsites/nativetrees/images/trees/c-f/full/flowering-dogwoodfruit-original-01.jpg
  7. https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3619/3288124619_fa8822ab2c_z.jpg?zz=1