Unlike the flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), this dogwood has a definite layered habit, with 2-3’ between layers of branches, and its flowers are clusters of many little white flowers instead of the single “flowers” of Flowering dogwood. Those flowers become purple fruits that birds gobble up. Alternative-leaf dogwood doesn’t get as tall as flowering dogwood, only reaching heights between 10-20 feet tall. It is also more shade-tolerant and needs more moisture than flowering dogwood.Alternate-Leaf Dogwoods are important to New York State Ecological Communities.