Cornus kousa

Vase-shaped when young, becoming more rounded with age. White flowers from late-spring to early-summer. Red fruit attracts birds. Green foliage turns purple-red in autumn. Hardy.

Exotic

Deciduous

Attracts birds

Family: Cornaceae, a family of flowering trees, shrubs, and herbs native to northern temperate regions and tropical Asia.

Genus: Cornus, cornus (Latin, noun), meaning 'dogwood', originally referring to Cornus mas. The generic name could also be derived from the Latin noun cornūs (horn, power, strength), in reference to the high strength, density, and hardness of the wood of species in this genus. Commonly known as dogwood, a genus of flowering plants that are native throughout much of temperate and boreal Eurasia and North America, with China, Japan, and the southeastern United States being particularly rich in native species.

Species: Cornus kousa, kousa, unknown meaning, first named by F. Buerger and then confirmed by the British diplomat Henry Fletcher Hance (1827 - 1886). The specific epithet is not the Japanese name for this species as many sources claim. The correct Japanese name for this species is yamaboushi, meaning 'mountain priest', in reference to the mound in the centre of the flower resembling the shaven head of a priest and the four white bracts that resemble the scarf worn by monk-soldiers on the ancient temple Enryaku-ji located on Mount Hiei, Japan.

Synonyms: Cornus kousa var. kousa, Cornus kousa subsp. kousa

Common Name: Japanese Dogwood

Other Common Name(s): Chinese Dogwood, Korean Dogwood

Description: Vase-shaped when young, becoming more rounded with age. White flowers from late-spring to early-summer. Red fruit attracts birds. Green foliage turns purple-red in autumn. Hardy.

Height: 4m

Width: 3m

Uses: Attracts birds

Winter Foliage: Deciduous

Origin: Exotic

Foliage:

• Summer: Green

• Autumn: Purple, Red

• Winter: None

• Spring: Green

Flowers:

• Summer: White

• Autumn: None

• Winter: None

• Spring: White