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Do Dogwood Trees Smell Bad? (All You Need to Know)

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Dogwood trees are like most other trees in the world when offered proper water and sunlight. Dogwood trees offer a strong fragrance. Dogwood trees are the symbol of growth, beauty, and inspiration.

Dogwood trees are also called Majestic Ornamental. There are over 50 species of Dogwood trees in the wild. Their growth, smell depends on the water supply, temperature.

Do dogwood trees smell bad?

All Dogwood trees usually do not smell bad. Whereas, some dogwood trees offer a very strong yet pleasant smell but most dogwood trees smell like rotten fish and semen. Their smell, beauty, height, color, lifespan depends on the sunlight, water, shades, and the nutrients it is getting through nature.

Flowering dogwood is the most common species of dogwood that everyone has seen or heard of. In spring, attractive whitish-yellow flowers bloom from the flowering dogwood tree.

Other dogwood trees like Blackfruit Cornel, which is based in California, blooms yellowish-green flowers.

Dogwood trees’ survival and smell depend on water. It cannot survive in semi-arid to arid areas and will need irrigation. However, dogwood trees mostly bloom near river banks, also they will not grow in flooded areas.

Dogwood trees bloom well under areas that are well shaded. Most tall trees that protect dogwood trees from direct sun rays have the advantage over non-shaded dogwood trees.

There are over 50 types of dogwood trees in the wild. But most common dogwood trees are,

White dogwood trees:

The white dogwood tree is also known as Callery pear. 

Where most dogwood trees offer a beautiful outlook, these trees also produce a smell that is similar to rotten fish and sperm. The smell is so strong that it is unbearable to most people.

This tree is known for its red berries. These berries are not poisonous but it upsets the stomach of the animals.

Chinese dogwood trees:

Both male and female offer a beautiful outlook. But the male trees smell like rotten fish and sperm. The flower’s bad odor attracts insects which is unbearable to the people.

Do flowering dogwood trees smell?

A plant from the Rosaceae family, which has beautiful white flowers, offers a stinky smell.

This smell is offensive to most people because of the sharp contrast. Like the rose offers a beautiful aroma, on the contrary, flowering dogwood trees smell like rotten fish and sperm. 

The foul smell of flowering dogwood trees lasts for a few weeks. It should not be planted near the bedroom or living room of the house. Flowering dogwood trees produce a huge amount of pollen, which is harmful to sensitive individuals.

Do dogwood trees smell like fish or sperm?

Some dogwood trees smell like fish and sperm. Their smell depends on the type of species they are from. Some dogwood trees attract insects to the pollinator thus creating a bad odor.

A species of the dogwood tree, Bradford pear offers a smell that is similar to the mixture of fish and semen. The flowers of this tree have a lovely appearance. Although these flowers are the reason that they smell like fish and sperm.

What does a dogwood tree smell like?

Most dogwood trees have a strong fragrance that is not unbearable. Their smell depends on where they are situated and how much proper water they are getting. The majority of dogwood smells good whereas some smell putrid.

Some dogwood smells like a mixture of rotten fish and sperm. Dogwood trees cannot adjust well in a place where water and nutrition are not well maintained.  Also, proper shade and proper sunlight are needed to grow.

Why do dogwood trees smell bad?

Most dogwood trees do not smell bad. However, some dogwood trees smell like fish and sperm. It depends on the water supply, nutrition, shade, and sunlight.

The smell of these trees is very strong but it is not unpleasant at all. Few species of dogwood like Callery pear, Bradford pear do smell bad. This is the natural odor of these trees.

The Bradford pears attract pollinators. Most insects are attracted to the pollinator. So the tree produces a rotten and stinky odor.

Can I plant dogwood close to the house?

Dogwood trees that are small and medium in size, can be planted close to the house. Flowering dogwood trees are the most suitable dogwood tree which can be planted with ease.

This species of dogwood tree can be 30 to 40 feet in height and width can be 30 feet.

How far away from the house should you plant a dogwood tree?

Dogwood trees should not be planted near the house. The roots of dogwood trees damage the structures of the house. A minimum distance which is advised by the experts should be maintained to avoid structural damage.

Small and medium-sized dogwood trees can be planted near the house. Small-sized dogwood trees can be planted 6 feet apart from the house. For more than one tree, the gap between multiple trees should be 20 feet apart.

Whereas mid-sized dogwood trees can be planted 15 feet away from the house. For multiple trees, each tree should be 35 feet apart. Big dogwood trees cannot be used. But shades and water should be provided to grow these plants.

Where are dogwood trees native?

The dogwood tree is also known as Cornus. There are 30-60 woody plants in the species Cornaceae, which is defined by the blossoms, berries. Most of the species are from North America and Europe and Asia.

A native of dogwood trees is Eurasia and North America, Japan, and the Southeastern United States.

The common dogwood, also known as Cornus Sanguinea, is the native of Eurasia, the flowering dogwood (Cornus Florida) is of eastern North America, the Pacific dogwood (Cornus nuttallii) is of Western North America.

Kousa dogwood (Cornus Kousa) is of Eastern Asia, and other dogwood species like boreal and dwarf cornel are from Canada and Eurasia.

Are dogwood trees toxic to horses, dogs, cats, and other animals?

More than 75 species of birds eat bright red dupes of the dogwood trees. None of the dogwood trees has been reported as toxic for dogs, horses, cats, and other animals.

Dogwood is not mentioned anywhere as the toxic or harmful tree in any toxic trees list.

What kind of trees smell bad?

Trees enhance the beauty of a place by their look and how they smell. Although most of the trees look beautiful but do not smell good. Few trees look gorgeous but do not have an attractive aroma.

Bradford Pears:

Bradford pears grow in the agriculture department of the U.S.

These trees are 50 feet tall and 35 feet wide and this tree has a beautiful outlook of white flowers with red leaves in early spring and orange and yellow in fall.

No matter how astonishing their look is, they smell like rotten fish. The smell fades as the flowers come to life but as it is situated by the city streets, the smell is too much to tolerate.

Maidenhair Trees: 

Maidenhair trees are also called Ginkgo trees. Their berries smell like vomit or rancid butter. People still plant it because of their outlook, but their berries should be avoided.

However female ginkgo trees smell bad because of the Butyric Acid. Through the air, pollen grains travel from mail ginkgo trees to female ginkgo trees.

It develops into seeds that are 1 inch long, covered in yellow flesh and it grows plants on its own.

Although male maidenhair trees produce more flowers than female maidenhair trees, the smell of the trees is disgusting and also attracts insects. This tree is also called the stinking tree.

Chinese chestnut:

Chinese chestnut also known as (Castanea mollissima) has a smell like semen. The flowers bloom early in the spring. It has a beautiful outlook but smells as bad as good it looks.

Both male and female trees bloom flowers but the male trees stink. It is better to use the female tree for the decoration of the garden for their ornamental look.  Otherwise, this tree is used for nut production.

Final thoughts

Dogwood trees are really good-looking from a distance because of the eye-catching flowers. This tree is known for its beautiful outlook and also known for its foul smell. The smell is unbearable to some people as it offers a smell like a mixture of rotten fish and semen.

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