You may have known that the flowering dogwood is Missouri’s state tree, but did you know that a Christian legend says that the dogwood was used to create the cross that Jesus Christ was crucified on? Here are some more quick facts about this pretty tree.

Along with Missouri, dogwoods are the state flower of North Carolina.

Dogwoods bloom in a variety of colors. While white blossoms are very popular, red and pink flowering dogwoods are just as beautiful if not more so.

The dogwood is said to have been the largest and strongest tree in Jerusalem—much larger than it is today. The story goes that Jesus shortened and twisted the tree after his resurrection to stop it from being used to crucify other people, and transformed the flower structures to resemble bloody crosses. Read more about The Dogwood Tree: Used to Crucify Jesus?