Cornus kousa Hance
Kousa dogwood, Japanese dogwood, Chinese dogwood, kouse dogwood
Kousa dogwood is native to Japan, North Korea, and China. Cultivars have escaped to parts of New York, but are otherwise not found in the wild in North America, though the cultivars are popular in many other locations too. Here is a list of some common Cornus kousa cultivars.
Plants: Kousa dogwood is a small tree up to 20′ (6.1 m) in height, rarely reaching 30′ (9.1 m). Its trunk develops unevenly-shaped peeling scales at maturity, producing varying coloration in the trunk resembling camouflage. More vase-shaped at first, it matures into a rounded crown.
Leaves: Opposite, 2–4 ⨉ ¾–1″ (5–10 ⨉ 1.9–2.5 cm), elliptic to ovate, with smooth edges and leaf veins that are nearly parallel to the edges. Dark green summer leaves turn red or purple in the fall.
Flowers: Showy white “flowers” about 3″ (7.6 cm) wide. Actually, though, the flowers are bracts—modified leaves, and the true flowers are an inconspicuous disc of yellow-green florets in the center. They flower from June to early July.
Fruits: The fruits are the most unique aspect of this dogwood: bumpy globes about ¾–1″ (1.9–2.5 cm) around, bright pink, fading to dull red. The fruits reach upward on the ends of branches unless the branches bend. They are coveted by birds and squirrels.
Habitats: Woods and scrub in Sichuan; valleys and shaded slopes.
Edibility: Fruits are sweet and juicy raw or cooked, though very seedy and
with a tough outer covering. 
The seeds are said to be poisonous, though.
Online References:
References:
Symonds, George W. D.; photos by Chelminski, Stephen V., The Tree Identification Book, Harper, 2003, p. 112
Probably a cultivar · 10/10/2011 · Dunsmoor’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 1 × 2′ (41 × 62 cm) 
ID is uncertain 
6/27/2026 · Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine 
6/13/2017 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 4″ (12 × 10 cm) 
6/13/2017 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (16 × 11 cm) 
6/13/2017 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm) 
Probably a cultivar · 10/10/2011 · Dunsmoor’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 7″ (22 × 18 cm) ID is uncertain 
5/20/2026 · Cutler Botanic Garden, Binghamton, New York · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 12 cm) 
5/27/2017 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9.2 cm) 
5/20/2026 · Cutler Botanic Garden, Binghamton, New York · ≈ 4½ × 3″ (12 × 8.1 cm) 
Probably a cultivar · 10/10/2011 · Dunsmoor’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9.2 cm) ID is uncertain 
Probably a cultivar · 10/10/2011 · Dunsmoor’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) ID is uncertain 
6/27/2026 · Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine 
5/27/2017 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm) 
6/16/2012 · Connie and Stan’s, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 1 × 1′ (35 × 32 cm) 
Probably a cultivar · 10/10/2011 · Dunsmoor’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain 
6/16/2012 · Connie and Stan’s, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 2 × 1′ (62 × 41 cm) 
5/27/2017 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 8.7 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Cornales | Includes dogwoods, hydrangeas, stickleafs, tupelos, even sillyberries |
| Family | Cornaceae | Dogwood family |
| Genus | Cornus | Latin for “a horn” |
| Species | kousa | Japanese name for dogwood |
Cornus kousa description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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