Plant: Cornus kousa 四照花

I saw Kousa Dogwood in New York and Pennsylvania when I visited my daughter and my sister this May/June in 2021. I used to have one dogwood tree in my yard in Connecticut. But I found that Kousa Dogwood looks more sophisticated and pretty.
2021 年5月/6 月，我在紐約和賓州看我的女兒和妹妹時，看到了 Kousa Dogwood。在我康州的院子裡曾經有一棵山茱萸。但我發現四照花看起來更精緻、更漂亮。

Photo Date: 2021.05.26 Location: New York
Photo Date: 2021.05.31 Location: Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve, New York
Photo Date: 2021.06.15 Location: Lahaska, Pennsylvania

Notes 筆記

  • Cornus kousa’s common names include kousa, kousa dogwood, Chinese dogwood, Korean dogwood, and Japanese dogwood.
  • Genus name comes from the Latin word cornu meaning horn in probable reference to the strength and density of the wood. Cornus is also the Latin name for cornelian cherry. Specific epithet is the Japanese name for this species.
  • It is a small, deciduous flowering tree or multi-stemmed shrub that typically grows 15-30’ tall, with a vase-shaped habit in the early years but eventually maturing to a more rounded form.
  • The tree is extremely showy when in bloom, but what appear to be four, white petals are actually four spreading bracts below the cluster of inconspicuous yellow-green flowers. The blossoms appear in late spring, weeks after the tree leaves out.
  • The fruit is a globose pink to red compound berry 2–3 cm in diameter. It is edible, with a sweet and creamy flavor, and is a delicious addition to the tree’s ornamental value. The fruit is sometimes used for making wine.
  • Oval, pointed leaves (to 4” long) are dark green, but usually turns attractive shades of reddish-purple to scarlet in autumn.
  • Cornus kousa 常見名稱包括 kousa、kousa 山茱萸(四照花)、中國山茱萸(中國四照花)、韓國山茱萸和日本山茱萸。石棗、羊梅、山荔枝
  • 屬名來自拉丁詞 cornu，意思是角質，可能是指木材的強度和密度。Cornus 也是山茱萸櫻桃的拉丁名稱。特定加詞是該物種的日語名稱。
  • 它是一種小型的落葉開花喬木或多莖灌木，通常長 15-30 英尺高，早年具有花瓶形，但最終成熟為更圓的形狀。
  • 這種樹在盛開時非常艷麗，但看起來是四片白色的花瓣，實際上是在一簇不起眼的黃綠色花朵下方的四片展開的苞片。 花朵出現在晚春，也就是樹木枯萎後的幾週。
  • 果實是球形的粉紅色至紅色複合漿果，直徑 2-3 厘米。 它是可食用的，具有甜味和奶油味，除了觀賞價值外，美味也增加了它的價值。它的果實有時用來釀酒。
  • 橢圓形尖葉（長至 4 英寸）呈深綠色，但通常在秋季由迷人的紅紫色變為猩紅色。

References 參考資料

Plants Posts 植物的帖子

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