Scientific Name:
Cornus kousa
cvs.
Pronunciation:
KORE-nus KOO-suh
Common Name:
Chinese dogwood, kousa dogwood
Family Name:
Cornaceae
Plant Type:
Tree - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Leaves opposite, elliptic-broadly ovate, 10-14cm long x 4-8cm wide, 4–6 major veins per side (1 near margin), margins entire and cupped upwards; inflorescence 9-14mm wide, florets 40-75, bracts 4-6cm long x 3-5cm wide, white and often turning pink with age (bract tips are pointed compared to those of C. florida which are rounded with a cleft); multiple fruit, red, rounded, 18-25mm wide with 1-3 stones. Winter ID: bark mottled and exfoliating, twigs dark reddish-brown, pubescent, leaf scars opposite, lateral buds minute, terminal leaf buds valvate, ovoid, about 8mm long, some with forked tips; inflorescence buds garlic bulb-shaped (not as flattened as C. florida).
Habit:
Dense, Stiffly upright
Form:
Oval - vertical
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
7 - 10m
Mature Spread:
7 - 10m
Growth Rate:
Slow
Origin:
Garden origin, S.E. Asia / Japan / China
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun only if soil kept moist, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Acidic, Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Attract birds, Specimen plant
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivar shown: C. 'Satomi'. Other cultivars on campus include C. 'Wolf's Eye', and C. 'Starlight' (C. kousa x C. nuttallii).
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Opposite
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Fall:
Orange, Red, Dark-red
Shapes:
Elliptic, Ovate
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Obtuse
Margins:
Undulate (wavy)
Additional Info:
Spectacular fall colour
Inflorescence Type:
Spike, Floriferous, Head-like
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
4
Corolla Shape:
Cruciform
Ovary Position:
Inferior
Colour (petals):
Showy, White, Pink (certain cvs have pink bracts (e.g. C. Satomi))
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Jun, Jul
Additional Info:
Amount of pink colouring of bracts (or it's absence) varies with cultivar.
Fruit Type:
Drupe, Edible, Multiple fruit
Fruit Colour:
Red
Fruiting Time:
Sep
Additional Info:
Showy, Edible, edible
Bark Morphology:
Exfoliating, Moderately fissured
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey, Yellow, Tan, Brown
Leaf Bud Type:
Conical (long-pointed), Ovoid, Valvate
Leaf Scar Shape:
Crescent shaped
Organ Modifications:
Leaf-like bracts
Propagation:
Cuttings
Pest Susceptibility:
Leaf scorch (Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Deer resistant)
Course(s):
- not used (on campus)
Location(s):
- (BHE) Boulevard by Hwy. 10 Eastend : cv. Satomi
- (BKW) Boulevard Kwantlen Way : cv. Satomi
- (ONW) Overpass North side West : cv. Starlight
- (QRR) Quercus Robur Row planting : cv. Satomi 117
- (TFL) Turf Field Lab
- (TFLE) Turf Field Lab East : cv. Satomi
- (TFLN) Turf Field Lab North : cv. Starlight
- (WLG) WoodLand Garden : cv. Wolf's Eye (dead?)