Hortus Botanicus Leiden, Netherlands

Common name: Japanse kornoelje, Kousa

Family: Cornaceae (Dogwood family)

Synonym: Benthamidia japonica

Distribution: Japan, Korea, China

Hardiness: Zone 05

Life form: Tree or shrub

Comments: Cornus kousa is native to Honshu in Japan, the mountains of Sichuan in China, and Korea. In the wild, the small tree grows along the edges of forests and in shrub vegetation.
Cornus kousa was planted around 1935. It can grow up to 6 metres, grows fairly slowly but eventually becomes as tall as it is wide. The leaves are ovate, pointed at the top, dark grey-green in colour and 5-10 cm long. The most striking thing about a flowering Cornus kousa are the four star-shaped white bracts. At the centre of these, there is an unimpressive pale green flower head. When the flower has been fertilised, the group of flowers develops in the course of the summer into fruits resembling strawberries. The fruits are small, edible stone fruits that are soft red in colour.