Japanese Dogwood in Bloom
You see them blooming all over Harvard right now, but what are those gorgeous spreading trees? They’re Japanese Dogwoods, or Kousas. Their four-pointed white blooms are actually not blooms at all but bracts below the cluster of inconspicuous yellow-green flowers. The tree flowers in late spring, weeks after it leafs out. Later in the season, and once the white petals are gone, pinkish spiky red berries 2-3 cm in diameter appear. I’m told that the fruit is edible, though have never tried it in a late summer tart! The ornamental value alone has kept us thrilled for over ten years, as we watch it rise and spread at one side of our house, so much so that we planted two more at the street. They too continue to grow and produce the same spectacular display as the original one, all with minimal maintenance. Of benefit, too, is that these dogwoods are resistant to the disease, anthracnose, caused by a fungus and damaging to most other strains of dogwoods.
Kathleen Comstock
Leave a Reply