c. florida

Thank you, cecily. Buying from the Arbor Foundation and being sent the wrong trees is like a bad joke. I contacted them about the apple tree vs flowering crab and was told that they have so many growers, there was no way they’d know where my tree came from.

It is Cornus florida. I found this handy photo comparison online:

Other ways to distinguish between the two species is that C. florida blooms before it leafs out, produces rounded bracts and usually with a distinctive notch. C. kousa blooms slightly later after leafing out, has pointed bracts and without notches

Thanks, gardengal. I’ve never seen the seedpods before this year — it’s my first thing to flower in spring and pollinators then are scarse. This year, however, it was covered with some small unfamiliar bees when it flowered.

bengz6westmd, that’s how I felt about the apple tree because it’s an excellent keeper with fantastic flavor! It’s just in a spot where I would never have planted it if I knew it was an apple tree. :p

Thanks, everyone. It’s still a great little tree. :)

From the size and number of blooms, I suspect your tree is a named variety. One of the Cherokee series, possibly? You might contact the Rutgers University ag department. They have an extensive dogwood breeding program and might at least have some suggestions. But there are so many that are so similar, you may never properly ID it. I'd just enjoy it for the beautiful tree that it is.

Fig_insanity, the flowers were huge this year and there were so many compared to normal. The tree was gorgeous. It’s always a beautiful burgundy color in autumn too!