Cornus kousa chinensis or Kousa Dogwood is an attractive small deciduous tree with dense green foliage on tiered branches making a vase shape initially changing to a more rounded shape as it matures.
It bears large white, pointed four petalled flowers in early summer which turn to berry-like pink/red fruits in autumn which are edible (unlike the others in the species).
The blooms are prized for being larger than other flowering Dogwoods.
For the real keen botanists, the flowers are not petalled but bracts of the inflorescence with the actual flowers being very yellow to green, small and almost insignificant in the centre.
The bark is mottled and beige to grey in colour which makes an attractive display over winter.
This is a very attractive feature tree that, due to its compact nature, is well suited to domestic gardens providing both spectacular blooms in early spring and good autumn colour before leaf-drop.