Interesting Plant: Kousa Dogwood (Cornus kousa)

A lovely specimen of Kousa Dogwood found on the grounds of Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. Oberlin was founded in 1837 and is renowned as the the first US college to admit African-Americans and Women.

Oberlin College Visit - Kousa Dogwood

Oberlin College Visit - Kousa Dogwood

Download your own Free Kousa Dogwood Computer and Smartphone Wallpapers

Kousa Dogwood (Cornus kousa) 

The Kousa dogwood[1] (Cornus kousa or Benthamidia kousa) is a small deciduous tree 8–12 m (26–39 ft) tall, native to eastern Asia. Like most dogwoods, it has opposite, simple leaves, 4–10 cm long. The tree is extremely showy when in bloom, but what appear to be four-petalled white flowers are actually bracts spread open below the cluster of inconspicuous yellow-green flowers. The blossoms appear in late spring, weeks after the tree leafs out. The Kousa dogwood is sometimes also called “Chinese dogwood”,[2][3] Korean Dogwood,[3] orJapanese dogwood.[1] 

The kousa dogwood can be distinguished from the closely related flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) of eastern North America by its more upright habit, flowering about a month later, and having pointed rather than rounded flower bracts.

The fruit is a globose pink to red compound berry 2–3 cm in diameter, though these berries tend to grow larger towards the end of the season and some berry clusters that do not fall from the tree surpass 4 cm. It is edible, a sweet and delicious addition to the tree’s ornamental value. The fruit is sometimes used for making wine.[4]

It is resistant to the dogwood anthracnose disease, caused by the fungus Discula destructiva, unlike C. florida, which is very susceptible and commonly killed by it; for this reason, C. kousa is being widely planted as an ornamental tree in areas affected by the disease. A number of hybrids between C. kousa and C. florida have also been selected for their disease resistance and good flower appearance.

Fall foliage is a showy red color. — Wikipedia.org

 
More information on Kousa Dogwood:

Previously in the Interesting Plant series: 

Interesting Plant is a series from A Gardener’s Notebook blog and podcast that highlights the most interesting plants I find in my Internet and real-world travels — Douglas