Description | Kousa Dogwood (Cornus kousa) is a white flowering Dogwood tree hardy to zone #5. |
---|---|
Pronunciation | (KOR-nus)(KOO-sa) |
Plant Type | Trees Deciduous, Site author's observations |
Hardiness Zone | 5-8 |
Sunlight | flowers best in full sun |
Moisture | average |
Soil & Site | average, needs acidic soils |
Flowers | true flowers (which are ornamentally insignificant) are small yellow-green inflorescences centered among the four showy white bracts |
Fruit | drupes, initially green, ripen to pink or red, spherical pendulous stalks |
Leaves | green, opposite simple leaves, I have seen great red fall color |
Dimensions | 20-30 feet tall in favorable climates, developes horizontal branching with age |
Misc Facts | Variable from seed giving forth to a plethora of cultivars. Genus name "Cornus" is derived from the word cornu which means “horn” and refers to the hard wood. The species name "kousa" is the Japanese name for this dogwood |
Author's Notes | Over the years I have observed one of these plants and it seems to struggle in our winters. |
Notes & Reference | #01-Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (Michael Dirr), #175-Dogwoods (Paul Cappiello and Don Shadow) |