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Form
Small tree with rounded, irregular crown.
Leaves
Simple, opposite, oval shaped leaves are 2" to 4"
long and almost half as wide. They are shiny dark green with large
tufts or hair on the undersides.
Fall Color
Scarlet or reddish purple to red-orange.
Stem/Buds/Bark
Slender stems are tan with small brownish black buds. Flower
buds formed at the end of stems are covered with two hairy scales.
Gray and brown bark peels irregularly, creating an attractive mottled
appearance.
Flowers
Four pointed bracts, 1" to 2" long, create the showy
white inflorescence which surrounds the small, yellow, central flowers;
very showy.
Flowering Time
Blooms in May two to four weeks after Cornus florida and ater
the tree leafs out (not before as with flowering dogwood); flowers
remain showy longer than those of flowering dogwood.
Fruit
The 3/5" to 1" drupe is red to reddish pink and looks
somewhat like a raspberry. The fruit provides fall color from August
through November.
Landscape Uses
Kousa dogwood can be used effectively as a small specimen tree
or in large shrub borders and corner foundation plantings. Its horizontal
lines soften blank walls and vertical lines. Because Kousa dogwood
prefers more sun and is more drought tolerant that Cornus florida,
it adapts better to urban conditions than flowering dogwood.
Major Landscape Features
Small specimen tree; showy flowers, fall color and fruit.
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