The Dawes Arboretum

Common name: Ticknor's Choice kousa dogwood

Family: Cornaceae (dogwood family)

Distribution: Species native to e. Asia

Hardiness: USDA Zone 5

Life form: Deciduous tree

Comments: A small, deciduous tree from the west coast, unique for its green petal-like bracts that turn white and later back to green. Flowers open in late May and persist into midsummer, 1½-2" wide. Fruits ripen strawberry-red and consist of numerous aggregated carpels. Leaves are opposite, simple, 2-3" long, lustrous dark green in summer, later becoming purple and pink.