Common Name: Japanese Dogwood

General Information

Cornus kousa is a deciduous tree with a rounded crown; it can grow from 3 - 10 metres tall. The plant usually produces a single main stem, though can also produce a cluster of stems[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials. It is sometimes cultivated for its edible fruit, and is often grown as an ornamental[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

E. Asia - northeast India (Sikkim), central and southern China, Japan, Korea.

Habitat

Valleys, shaded slopes, by streams and roadsides, in mixed, sparse, and dense woods; at elevations from 400 - 2,200 metres[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	10.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Cornus kousa is a very cold-hardy tree, tolerating temperatures down to around -25°c when dormant[].
An easily grown plant, it succeeds in any soil of good or moderate fertility, from acid to slightly alkaline but dislikes shallow chalky soils[, ]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers a rich well-drained loamy soil and a position that is at least partially sunny[].
A very ornamental plant[]. A number of named forms have been developed for their ornamental value[].
Plants are slow-growing when young, they speed up somewhat after a few years but then soon slow down again[].
The sub-species of Cornus kousa chinensis grows more freely, flowering and fruiting better in Britain though it barely differs in appearance from the species[].
Plants usually start flowering when around 200cm tall[].
This species has been known to hybridize with Cornus capitata[]. The cultivar 'Norman Hadden' could be such a hybrid[].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[, ]. Sweet and juicy[, ], it is very nice in small quantities[]. Very seedy[]. The skin is rather tough and unpleasant, but the pulp is delicious with a custard-like texture, it is one of our favourite late summer fruits[]. The red, subglobose, compound fruit is 20 - 27mm in diameter, containing several small hard seeds[].

Young leaves - cooked[, , ].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The wood is very hard and heavy. It is used for mallets etc[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame or in an outdoors seedbed if there is sufficient seed[, ]. The seed must be separated from the fruit flesh since this contains germination inhibitors[, ]. Stored seed should be cold stratified for 3 - 4 months and sown as early as possible in the year[]. Scarification may also help as may a period of warm stratification before the cold stratification[, ]. Germination, especially of stored seed, can be very slow, taking 18 months or more[]. Prick out the seedlings of cold-frame sown seeds into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow the plants on for their first winter in a greenhouse, planting out in the spring after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe side shoots, mid summer in a frame[].
Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, taken with a heel if possible, autumn in a cold frame. High percentage[].
Layering of new growth in early summer/July. Takes 9 months[].