Cornus kousa Cultivars A-D

'Aget'

Narrow, tapered, long-lasting bracts with deep shining green leaves (Cappiello & Shadow 2005).

'Akabana'

Similar to ‘Satomi’, with rich pink bracts; Cappiello and Shadow (2005) suggested that the two could be synonymous. However, plants grown under these names in Britain are clearly distinct, ‘Akabana’ forming a tidier and more symmetrical plant than ‘Satomi’ (T. Junker, pers. comm. 2026).

Cornus kousa 'Akabana' forming a well-shaped small tree. Image Torsten Junker, Junker's Nursery - Gardens and Nursery.

'Akatsuki'

A variegated sport of ‘Satomi’, the leaves green with white and pink edges, the small white bracts mottled with pink; selected by Akiri Shibamichi, Japan (Cappiello & Shadow 2005).

Bracts and leaves of Cornus kousa 'Akatsuki'. Image Van Ooi, Reeuwijk.

Cornus kousa 'Akatsuki'. Image Torsten Junker, Junker's Nursery - Gardens and Nursery.

'All Summer'

This selection flowers over an extended period, the bracts and fruits coinciding on the plant (Cappiello & Shadow 2005); described as ‘particularly splendid’ by Junker Nursery (2023). Recovered by Moreau et al. (2024) as a cultivar of subsp. chinensis.

Cornus kousa 'All Summer'. Image Torsten Junker, Junker's Nursery - Gardens and Nursery.

Cornus kousa 'All Summer'. Image Torsten Junker, Junker's Nursery - Gardens and Nursery.

'Amber'

Shrubby; yellow-and-cream-variegated leaves. Introduced by Gary Handy, Boring, Oregon (Cappiello & Shadow 2005).

'Angela Palmer'

Smaller, variegated leaves with white margins; foliage can burn (Cappiello & Shadow 2005).

'Angyo Issai'

A compact cultivar with small, narrow cream bracts, selected by Japanese nurseryman Akira Shibamichi. ‘Angyo Issai’ remains dwarf when grown on its own roots, but appears to lose this trait when grafted onto a C. kousa rootstock (Gayraud 2013) – most plants cultivated under this name have made small trees. One of the earliest cultivars to flower.

'Annelies'

White bracts with variegated foliage, the leaves green with broad irregular yellow margins, colouring well in autumn; forms a small tree 2.5 m tall after 10 years (Esveld 2026). Annelies van Ooi is one of the founders (with her husband Wil van Ooi) of the specialist Dutch Cornus nursery Kwekerij van Ooi, Reeuwijk, responsible for a number of the most successful modern kousa selections.

'Autumn Rose'

One of the more compact selections, the emerging leaves chartreuse, becoming green, then pink and red in autumn. The bracts are small, green at first, fading to white. Introduced by Handy Nursery, Oregon (Cappiello & Shadow 2005).

Cornus kousa 'Autumn Rose'. Arboretum Cimetière Parc, Nantes, France. Image James Garnett.

Cornus kousa 'Autumn Rose'. Arboretum Cimetière Parc, Nantes, France. Image James Garnett.

Grown for its interesting leaves, 'Autumn Rose' also has pale green bracts that contrast well with the pale variegated foliage (RHS Garden Wisley, June 2021). Image Jack Aldridge.

Cornus kousa 'Autumn Rose'. Arboretum Cimetière Parc, Nantes, France. Image James Garnett.

Cornus kousa 'Autumn Rose'. Arboretum Cimetière Parc, Nantes, France. Image James Garnett.

Cornus kousa 'Autumn Rose'. Arboretum Cimetière Parc, Nantes, France. Image James Garnett.

Cornus kousa 'Autumn Rose'. Arboretum Cimetière Parc, Nantes, France. Image James Garnett.

Unique among variegated Cornus kousa cultivars, 'Autumn Rose' displays marbled yellow and lime green foliage with distinctive wavy margins. These colours are particularly vivid on emergence in spring, giving way to a myriad of pink and red shades in autumn (RHS Garden Wisley, June 2021). Image Jack Aldridge.

Variegation probably accounts for the slower-growing nature of this cultivar, which forms a compact shrub with an upright habit (RHS Garden Wisley, June 2021). Image Jack Aldridge.

An attractive specimen of Cornus kousa 'Autumn Rose' giving the lie to the description 'semi-dwarf' that is sometimes applied to it (Arboretum Cimetière Parc, Nantes, France; 19 May 2026). Image James Garnett.

'Avalanche'

Prolific and extremely hardy (to –30°C) with broad, overlapping white bracts; selected by Theodore Klein, Yew Dell Gardens, Kentucky (Cappiello & Shadow 2005).

'Baby Splash'

Dwarfing, with variegated white leaves; selected by Gary Handy, Boring, Oregon (Cappiello & Shadow 2005).

'Baier'

A shrubby white-bracted form with a weeping habit; selected by Baier Lustgarten, New York (Cappiello & Shadow 2005).

'Benifuji'

Selected by Yamashita, Ishikawa and Hagiwara from seed collected in 1970 on the southeastern slopes of Mount Fuji, Japan. Application for Japanese breeders’ rights was filed in 1991, granted in 1996 (Yamashita, Ishikawa and Hagiwara 1996). ‘Benifuji’ forms a bushy tree to 4 m tall, the leaves dark green with red petioles and primary veins. The bracts are celebrated for their dark pink colouring, among the deepest in the species, the pigmentation said to be particularly intense in areas with cool summers (Cappiello & Shadow 2005). Moreau et al. (2024) confirmed (as expected) that this cultivar belongs to subsp. kousa​​​​​.

The name ‘Benifuji’ (‘Crimson Fuji’) – alluding to the coloured bracts – refers to the natural phenomenon that causes the snow-capped Mount Fuji to appear red in the rising or setting sun (Watanabe 2019). Material offered in the trade as Cornus kousa ‘Mount Fuji’ appears to be identical to ‘Benifuji’, notwithstanding the insistence by Gayraud (2013) – based on the catalogue of the Belgian nursery Pépinière Le Try – that these are distinct cultivars. Gayraud claims to separate the two on the basis of the colour and shape of the bracts: wider, overlapping and a homogeneous deep pink in ‘Mount Fuji’; narrow, pointed, separate and coral pink in ‘Benifuji’. However, this distinction appears be drawn on the basis of observations of involucres at different stages of development: shape and hue both alter during the life of the bract (leaving aside the question of environmental influence on the intensity of pigmentation), so catalogue photographs taken out of context can be misleading. The images below, of a plant grown as ‘Mount Fuji’ at Wespelaar Arboretum, Belgium (Acc. 01288, sourced from Kwekerij Bulk, Boskoop) demonstrate the variable appearance of the bracts on a single plant.

The bracts on 'Benifuji' are some of the darkest pink found in Cornus kousa, more pointed than 'Satomi' (Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Hampshire, UK; 2 June 2024). Image Jack Aldridge.

The bracts of Cornus kousa 'Benifuji' are less intensely coloured in the cool climate of the English Lake District (Holehird Gardens, Cumbria, 29 May 2019). Image Julian Sutton.

Cornus kousa 'Benifuji' (grown as Cornus kousa 'Mount Fuji') at Arboretum Wespelaar, Belgium (Acc. 01288; 12 June 2009). Comparison with the Hillier plant contradicts Gayraud's claim that the inflorescences are 'completely different'. Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

Pale centres on narrow immature bracts of Wespelaar Acc. 01288 (grown as Cornus kousa 'Mount Fuji') (5 June 2005). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

Homogeneous rich pink colouration on maturing bracts of Wespelaar Acc. 01288 (grown as Cornus kousa 'Mount Fuji') (5 June 2005). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

On the mature involucre, the bracts, having broadened, now overlap, and the colour has intensified; the red leaf petioles are characteristic of 'Benifuji' as originally described (Wespelaar Acc. 01288, grown as Cornus kousa 'Mount Fuji'; 28 May 2004). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

During the course of their existence the involucral bracts of all forms of Cornus kousa change markedly in shape and, frequently, colour. These are the very young bracts of 'Benifuji'. Image Van Ooi, Reeuwijk.

'Big Apple'

Selected by Polly Hill for its extremely large fruit (to 4 cm in diameter) and large, white bracts to 14 cm across (Cappiello & Shadow 2005). Moreau et al. (2024) recovered it as a cultivar of subsp. chinensis.

Elegant bracts of Cornus kousa 'Big Apple'. Image Van Ooi, Reeuwijk.

Cornus kousa 'Big Apple'. Image Torsten Junker, Junker's Nursery - Gardens and Nursery.

'Blue Shadow'

A large tree (to 9 m) with very distinctive and attractive glaucous, shiny leaves and long-lasting white bracts; good heat tolerance (Cappiello & Shadow 2005). Selected by the renowned breeder Polly Hill, and named in honour of the charismatic Tennessee nurseryman and dogwood specialist Don Shadow (1940–2024). Recovered by Moreau et al. (2024) as a cultivar of subsp. chinensis.

Developing inflorescences of Cornus kousa 'Blue Shadow'. Image Torsten Junker, Junker's Nursery - Gardens and Nursery.

A floriferous cultivar, 'Blue Shadow' was selected in the US for its large deep blue-green foliage, although almost totally eclipsed by its long-lasting 'floral' display in summer (RHS Garden Wisley, June 2021). Image Jack Aldridge.

'Blue Shadow' can be spectacularly heavy-cropping, seen here where it was first raised, at the Polly Hill Arboretum, Massachusetts (9 October 2004). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

One of the finest selections, the forms of the bracts and leaves on Cornus kousa 'Blue Shadow' complement one another pleasingly (Wespelaar Arboretum, Haacht, Belgium; 12 June 2009). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

'Bodnant'

Distinguished by its purple young stems; prolific in flower, with rounded white bracts (Cappiello & Shadow 2005). Junker’s Nursery (2023) finds the habit asymmetric, better suited to use as a shrub than a specimen tree. Moreau et al. (2024) recovered ‘Bodnant’ as a cultivar of subsp. chinensis.

Rounded bracts on Cornus kousa 'Bodnant' Acc. 87131, Wespelaar Arboretum, Haacht, Belgium (5 June 2020). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

Cornus kousa 'Bodnant' Acc. 87131 at Wespelaar Arboretum, Haacht, Belgium (5 June 2020). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

'Bonfire'

Yellow-variegated foliage, colouring well in autumn (Cappiello & Shadow 2005).

Autumn foliage on Cornus kousa 'Bonfire' (Wespelaar Arboretum, Haacht, Belgium; 17 November 2006). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

Young bracts and foliage on Cornus kousa 'Bonfire'. Image Van Ooi, Reeuwijk.

'Bultinck's Beauty'

Unusual and striking for the young foliage, initially white-veined, then gradually becoming uniform green; selected by Antoine Bultinck-Meuleman, De Ceder Nursery, Belgium (Gayraud 2013).

Glowing autumnal foliage of Cornus kousa 'Bultinck's Beauty' (Arboretum Cimetière Parc, Nantes, France; 15 November 2017). Image James Garnett.

Foliage and inflorescences of Cornus kousa 'Bultinck's Beauty' (Arboretum Cimetière Parc, Nantes, France; 8 June 2018). Image James Garnett.

A reasonably-sized specimen of Cornus kousa 'Bultink's Beauty' (Arboretum Cimetière Parc, Nantes, France; 19 May 2026). Image James Garnett.

'Bultinck's Giant Flower'

Selected by Antoine Bultinck-Meuleman of De Ceder Nursery, Belgium; similar to ‘Bultinck’s Beauty’ but the bracts are much larger (Gayraud 2013).

Inflorescences of Cornus kousa 'Bultinck's Giant Flower' Image Van Ooi, Reeuwijk.

Large, characterful bracts of Cornus kousa 'Bultinck's Giant Flower' (Arboretum Cimetière Parc, Nantes, France; 2 June 2014). Image James Garnett.

A small specimen of Cornus kousa 'Bultinck's Giant Flower' (Arboretum Cimetière Parc, Nantes, France; 2 June 2014). Image James Garnett.

'Bultinck's Red Foliage'

A red-leaved version of ‘Bultinck’s Beauty’, the new leaves initially purple-red, gradually becoming green; fruits prolifically. Selected by Antoine Bultinck-Meuleman, De Ceder Nursery, Belgium (Gayraud 2013).

'Bush's Pink'

Modestly sized pink bracts; a seedling selected by Richard Bush, Canby, Oregon (Cappiello & Shadow 2005).

'Camden'

White bracts tapering to a point; selected as a prolific, long-flowering form by Mark Stavish, Georgetown, Maine, though Cappiello and Shadow (2005) note that these characteristics have not been observed when grown in Kentucky.

'Cappuccino'

Mahogany-tinted foliage that turns red in autumn, and creamy-white (‘cappuccino-coloured’) bracts at the base, turning pink towards the tips; the red leaf pigmentation is pronounced on plants grown in sun. Forms a small tree to 3 m tall × 3.5 m wide after 10 years. Discovered around 1995 in the Rhododendron Park Gristede belonging to the Bruns Nursery, Bad Zwischenahn, Germany, proposed (speculatively) to be a cross between ‘Satomi’ and ‘Wieting’ (Bruns Pflanzen 2016). Briefly marketed by neighbouring nurseryman Wolfgang Wilckens as Cornus kousa Copacabana, but this designation was abandoned in 2012 (CPVO 2026; Gayraud 2013). Described as elegant – ‘a brilliant all rounder […] worthy of a place in any garden’ for its copper-flushed leaves throughout the season (Junker Nursery 2023).

Cornus kousa 'Cappucino'. Image Torsten Junker, Junker's Nursery - Gardens and Nursery.

Cornus kousa 'Cappucino': the pink-flushed involucre is complimented by the purplish foliage. Image Torsten Junker, Junker's Nursery - Gardens and Nursery.

Developing inflorescences of Cornus kousa 'Cappucino'. Image Torsten Junker, Junker's Nursery - Gardens and Nursery.

Cornus kousa 'Cappucino' has a dusky look. Image Torsten Junker, Junker's Nursery - Gardens and Nursery.

Cornus kousa 'Cappucino' at RHS Garden Wisley, UK (12 June 2024). Image Jack Aldridge.

Cornus kousa 'Cappucino' at RHS Garden Wisley, UK (12 June 2024). Image Jack Aldridge.

'Cascade'

A smaller cultivar with an arching habit, bracts creamy-white (Cappiello & Shadow 2005).

'Cedar Ridge Select'

Bracts white, becoming pink-tinged later, selected by M. Wingle, Quakertown, Pennsylvania (Cappiello & Shadow 2005).

'Cherokee'

Upright, with broad, white, textured bracts (Cappiello & Shadow 2005).

The developing inflorescences of Cornus kousa 'Cherokee' are unusually yellowish. Image Torsten Junker, Junker's Nursery - Gardens and Nursery.

Cornus kousa 'Cherokee'. Image Torsten Junker, Junker's Nursery - Gardens and Nursery.

Cornus kousa 'Cherokee'. Image Torsten Junker, Junker's Nursery - Gardens and Nursery.

'China Dawn'

Variegated, unusually broad leaves, the cream to yellow margins attractively undulating; good autumn colour (Junker Nursery 2023; Pépinière Le Try 2025).

'China Girl'

A vigorous, floriferous selection that flowers well at an early age. The broad, overlapping bracts emerge greenish, gradually turning creamy white (Cappiello & Shadow 2005), before ageing to brown and falling without turning pink (Junker Nursery 2009). The assertion by Cappiello and Shadow that this is ‘a Dutch selection made around 1910’, widely repeated, is not credible (see the historical discussion in the species entry). Jacobson (1996) cites a Dutch origin, but implies a much later date of introduction to North America (before 1990, cf. Isaacson 1993), chiming with the received wisdom in Britain – perhaps only hearsay – that the cultivar was introduced from Holland in the late 1970s (e.g. Glover 2009). The cultivar name has a distinctly modern ring – the phrase ‘China Girl’ was given salience by David Bowie’s single of that name, which reached number two in the UK music charts in 1983, a possible clue as to the rough date of introduction (in the absence of all other evidence). American material under this name sampled by Moreau et al. (2024) proved identical to other plants labelled ‘Highland’ and ‘Snowy Peak’, suggesting a degree of confusion in the trade (the bracts on ‘Highland’ are much narrower than those on ‘China Girl’).

Creamy-white young bracts of Cornus kousa 'China Girl'. Image Van Ooi, Reeuwijk.

Involucres of Cornus kousa 'China Girl' at a slightly later stage of development. Image Torsten Junker, Junker's Nursery - Gardens and Nursery.

'China Girl' flowering well from an early age at Kiftsgate Court Gardens (June 2021). Image Jack Aldridge.

A good display of large creamy-white bracts, said to turn brown and drop, instead of the slow fade to pink seen in many other cultivars (Kiftsgate Court Gardens, June 2021). Image Jack Aldridge.

Autumn colour on Cornus kousa 'China Girl' (Acc. 84215, Wespelaar Arboretum, Haacht, Belgium; 17 November 2023). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

Cornus kousa 'China Girl' Acc. 84215 in full flower at Wespelaar Arboretum, Haacht, Belgium (18 May 2025). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

Fruits of Cornus kousa 'China Girl' at Wespelaar Arboretum, Haacht, Belgium (14 September 2016). Image James Garnett.

'Chrprizam'

A useful, compact white-bracted selection that forms a spreading shrub or small tree; introduced by Lake County Nursery, Ohio. Sometimes sold as a topworked specimen (Proven Winners 2021).

'Claudia'

Large white bracts sparsely flecked with small deep-pink dots (Esveld 2026; Hatch 2018–2020; Pépinière Le Try 2025); forms a small tree, to 2.5 m after 10 years. A plant at RHS Garden Wisley was received in 1999 from Mark Bulk, Netherlands (Cappiello & Shadow 2005). Junker (2023) does not mention the pink spots, but notes good autumn foliage colour.

Pink-spotted white bracts of Cornus kousa ‘Claudia’ at the Bluebell Arboretum, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, UK (June 2024). Image John Anderson.

The involucres of Cornus kousa ‘Claudia’ turn blotchily pink. Image Torsten Junker, Junker's Nursery - Gardens and Nursery.

Cornus kousa ‘Claudia’. Image Torsten Junker, Junker's Nursery - Gardens and Nursery.

Cornus kousa ‘Claudia’. Image Torsten Junker, Junker's Nursery - Gardens and Nursery.

Cornus kousa ‘Claudia’ in autumn foliage. Image Torsten Junker, Junker's Nursery - Gardens and Nursery.

Cornus kousa ‘Claudia’ in fruit. Image Torsten Junker, Junker's Nursery - Gardens and Nursery.

'Crème Puff'

Floriferous, with good red autumn colour; forms a spreading shrub, well furnished with foliage to ground level. Selected by Bill Barnes, Lorax Farms, Pennsylvania (Cappiello & Shadow 2005).

'Doubloon'

Pluribracteate (semi-double), with an upright habit; selected in the early 1970s from the same seedling batch as ‘Parasol’ by William Devine, Kennedyville, Maryland (Cappiello & Shadow 2005).

The pluribracteate involucres of Cornus kousa 'Doubloon' have a semi-double appearance. Image Torsten Junker, Junker's Nursery - Gardens and Nursery.

'Dr. Bump'

Floriferous, with exfoliating bark; forms a dense shrub (Cappiello & Shadow 2005).

Cornus kousa 'Dr. Bump', offered by Kwekerij van Ooi, Reeuwijk, Netherlands. Image Van Ooi, Reeuwijk.

'Dwarf Pink'

A Japanese dwarf selection with narrow bracts of variable colour depending on growing conditions, in shades of dark red to almost white; better propagated by cuttings than by grafting to maintain the dwarfing habit. Propagated from a wild plant discovered by Akiri Shibamichi in Gumma Prefecture, central Honshu, introduced in North America by Barry Yinger and Carl Hahn (Cappiello & Shadow 2005). Junker Nursery find the autumn leaf colour excellent, but the fruiting sparse (Junker Nursery 2023).

Neatly tapered bracts of Cornus kousa 'Dwarf Pink'. Image Van Ooi, Reeuwijk.

Inflorescences and foliage of Cornus kousa 'Dwarf Pink'. Image Torsten Junker - Junker's Nursery - Gardens and Nursery.