The Bud

• The dogwood bud is not truly the flower. It is comprised of four tightly closed bracts which are specialized leaves and surround a cluster of the true flowers. The true flowers are tiny yellow or green blooms which are insignificant until flanked by the showy bracts. The bracts will get notches on the edges when they pull apart from each other at bloom time. The notches are slight damage from the separation and add ornamental appeal to the flowers.
  
  

Anthracnose

• Anthracnose is a common plant disease. In dogwoods there are both Spot or Dogwood Anthracnose fungal diseases. Both diseases cause leaf spots which necroses. On affected bracts and leaves this can give the appearance of purple or tan leaf spots that have sunken and seem notched. The fungus is most prevalent in wet conditions and spreads when water splashes. Controls include good hygiene practices and fungicides applied in early spring before bud break. Anthracnose control is very important because its easy spreading nature can move it from plant to plant in your landscape.
  
  

Chewing Insects

• Leaf hoppers look like miniature grasshoppers and can wreak destruction on leaves in large numbers. The bracts of a dogwood bloom are modified leaves which are not immune to the pest's feeding habits. When the bud is closed, the sawfly caterpillar will eat the edges of the bracts. The caterpillar has several stages but the first and last are characterized by feeding on the edges of leaves. Dogwoods do not have many pests and these will not do any real harm but the visual damage can ruin the appearance of the blooms.
  
  

Fables

• The Native Americans have many stories and traditions surrounding native flora but the Shawnee nation has a particular story regarding the dogwood and the notched bracts. The Shawnee were converted to Christianity by the Jesuits but mixed in their native lore with the teachings of the Bible. They believed that the dogwood flower represented the cross that Jesus was crucified upon and the notches at the edges were symbols of the nail holes he had to endure. The rusty brown coloring on most bract notches echoes the blood that fell from Jesus' hands and feet.