Blossoms, which are so welcome, appear before the leaves in spring. These flowers are maltese coss-shaped and creamy white with a yellow center. Leaves delay their appearance until the glory of their flowers fade, then extend to their fullest dimension of three to six inches long and approximately half that wide. The fruit, consisting of four or five oblong drupes, first bright green in color but turning to a brilliant scarlet in autumn, adds to the ever-changing picture. They are especially sought by the wild turkey and other forest birds.
Autumn paints the leaves slowly from deep purple to rich wine tones.
After the serviceberry or shadebush has bloomed, the flowering dogwood dots the Ozark hillsides in the spring. Heights seldom exceed 30 feet with the diameter averaging six to eight inches. Many unusual uses have been found for this shock-resisting wood. The hard, close-grained characterisitic of the white wood makes it very desirable for golf club heads and handles for chisels and mallets. Other uses are wedges, pulleys, spindles, knitting needles, shuttles, sled runners and wood engraving blocks.