CORNUS: Kousa?

[Random Usr]

There is a huge CORNUS tree in town that produces several gazillion fruit each year. This year I decided to collect the fruit and see what I can do with the seeds. According to BONSAI4ME.com there are 3 varieties: KOUSA – MAS – OFFICINALIS. Because of the tree’s size, I guess it has to be KOUSA, right?

 

[TomB]

You can tell the difference from the fruit and flowers - Kousa has white flowers and red fruit that looks a bit like a strawberry. Mas has yellow flowers and fruit that looks more like an elongated cherry. Google for pics of the fruit.

 

[Random Usr]

Thank you, TomB. But now I really am confused because this tree is a behemoth even though the fruit definitely fit your description to a T ..... "an elongated cherry". Harry Harrington's Bopnsai4me.com writes, "Cornus mas is a vigorous, spreading, deciduous shrub or small tree ... " So what I have is what seems to be Mas fruit on a Kousa tree.

 

[rockm]

Cornus cousa is hardly a shrub. I've got landscape trees that have trunks as big as my leg and top out at ten feet...

 

[Random Usr]

Cornus cousa is hardly a shrub. I've got landscape trees that have trunks as big as my leg and top out at ten feet...

That's the point.

 

[rockm]

That's the point.

Um, okay...

 

[TomB]

Thank you, TomB. But now I really am confused because this tree is a behemoth even though the fruit definitely fit your description to a T ..... "an elongated cherry". Harry Harrington's Bopnsai4me.com writes, "Cornus mas is a vigorous, spreading, deciduous shrub or small tree ... " So what I have is what seems to be Mas fruit on a Kousa tree.

There's a Cornus mas 20 feet tall near where I park my car. It's only 'small' in relation to trees such as Oak, Beech, Pine... sounds to me like you have Mas.

 

[Maros]

I have seen mas with 10 m height. So Tom has point, it is just relatively small.

Post pictures of bark, leaves and structure and I will try to tell you if it is mas or not.