Kousa dogwood profile

Kousa Dogwood is a small deciduous tree belonging to the genus Tetrahedra of dogwood family. Kousa Dogwood is distributed in Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan and other provinces and regions. Kousa Dogwood grows in forests 600-2200 meters above sea level. When ripe, the fruit is purplish red, sweet and edible. It can also be used as brewing material.

Kousa Dogwood picture

Kousa Dogwood morphological characteristics

Kousa Dogwood is a small deciduous tree, 5-9 meters high. Leaves are opposite, thick papery, ovate or ovate-elliptic, 6-12 cm long and 3-6.5 cm wide, petiole 5-10 mm long, apex acuminate, base rounded or broadly cuneate, lateral veins 3-4 (5) paired, axils with yellowish brown or white hairs. Sorbus can be propagated by seed and root tillering.

Kousa Dogwood inflorescence is subglobose, borne on top of branchlets, with 20-30 flowers; Inflorescences are involucral bracts 4, to 5 cm long, petale-like, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, milky white. The calyx is cylindroid; Kousa Dogwood has 4 stamens and 2 ovaries. The fruit is globose, purplish red; The total stalk is slender, 5.5-6.5 cm long, and the fruit is 1.5-2.5 cm in diameter. Flowering period is from May to June, fruiting August to October. 

Kousa Dogwood growing environment

Kousa Dogwood grows in forests between 600 and 2200 meters above sea level. Kousa Dogwood likes warm climates and a damp environment, like light, born in a semi-shade place, can be seen in the forest and wet gullies and streams. Kousa Dogwood is suitable for rich and well-drained soil. It has good adaptability, heat resistance, ability to withstand a certain degree of cold, drought, barren. Kousa Dogwood can tolerate low temperature of -28℃ and extreme high temperature of 43.4 °C. It grows well under the conditions of annual precipitation of 350-1000 mm and frost-free period of 150-210 days. 

Kousa Dogwood distribution area

Kousa Dogwood is distributed in Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan and other provinces and regions. 

Kousa Dogwood propagation method

Kousa Dogwood is better for sowing and propagation. It can be cut into mature branches, grafted or layed, and can also be propagated separately.

Sow

Seed collection: Fruits from September to October should be picked or collected and stored on the ground. After the pulp becomes soft, the seeds should be washed and dried in the shade, and stored at low temperature with wet sand.

Seed treatment: Seeds of Kousa Dogwood are hard grains, which can germinate for 2 years after sowing. Therefore, special treatment should be given: sowing at low temperature for more than 120 days in the spring of the following year, mixing coarse sand and rubbing to wear the oily seed coat, and do not damage the seed embryo. Soak in warm water for 24 hours before sowing.

Sowing method: The ground is sown in April, using multiple rows of sowing propagation, covering the soil with 3-5 times the size of the seed, about 6-8 mm thick. After covering the soil, it can be covered with a grass curtain, pine needles, etc. to conserve moisture and shade.

Seedling stage management: It is necessary to strengthen field management during the seedling stage. Pay attention to timely watering, loosening soil, weeding and fertilization, so as to promote vigorous growth of seedlings. The root can be transplanted in early spring or in the rainy season with earth ball, and the pit can be applied with basal fertilizer. After planting, sufficient fixed root water should be poured in time, and water should be removed in the rainy season. Planting should choose half shade or south shading conditions, in case of sunburn leaf coke. It can be used for transplanting at the age of 3, and can blossom and bear fruit at the age of 6-7.

Cuttings

Cuttings can be carried out in spring and autumn for two seasons. Select robust branches, cut for 10 cm long cuttings, inserted in the finished seedbed, infiltration irrigation, keep the soil moist, a little shade.Cutting propagation can make it bloom quickly.

Grafting

General use dogwood seed reproduction seedlings as rootstock grafting, also can be used for dogwood family lampstand trees, narrow leaves and flowers as rootstock. Rootstock stem 0.7-1 cm thick, grafting in early spring; Budding can occur in the middle of July; After grafting pay attention to timely watering, loose soil, timely wipe the bud, live after the timely release.

Kousa Dogwood main value

Kousa Dogwood is a neat tree, flowering in early summer, with involucral bracts as white as butterflies, blooming like butterflies flying up and down the tree. Drupe gathers to form a ball, red and lovely, sweet can be solid, but also can make wine; Leaves are bright, red in autumn, red leaves can be viewed nearly January. In China, it has long been cultivated in courtyards for ornamental purposes. Evergreen trees are often planted in parks, beside houses and along roads. Kousa Dogwood is solitary, clumped, or planted as a roadside tree. Sweet fruit is used for raw food and wine.

Read More: How to grow and care for Kousa Dogwood