Personal Bio:

Faculty Bio: I. Renée M. Grimshaw was a dedicated professional who served as a foundational member of the community at Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island. Joining the faculty in 1977, she initially served the school community as the Middle School Nurse and health professional. Over her multi-decade tenure at Moses Brown, her administrative responsibilities expanded to include directing the school's Health Services. Her legacy of service and commitment to the school was permanently honored in 1998 with the dedication of a Kousa Dogwood tree in her name within the Arboretum at Moses Brown. Throughout her career, she remained deeply invested in the holistic wellness, care, and supportive development of generations of students.

Kousa Dogwood:

Scientific Name

Cornus kousa

Family

Cornaceae

Description

Kousa dogwood is a handsome, small- to medium-sized deciduous tree with a slow growth rate, reaching a mature height of 20–30 feet and a spread of 15–30 feet. Young trees grow in an upright, vase-shaped form; with age the habit becomes more horizontal, rounded, and wide-spreading.

Leaves are opposite, simple, oval with entire margins, 2.5–4 inches long and 2–2.5 inches wide, shiny and dark green above, paler beneath with tufts of golden-brown hairs at the base of the petiole; fall color is reddish-purple to scarlet, lasting three to five weeks.

Bark is smooth and light brown on young trees, later developing attractive exfoliating patches of tan and brown on mature trunks.

Stems are initially thin and purple to green, turning light brown with age.

Flowers in late spring (nearly a month after native flowering dogwood), with showy white to slightly yellowish-white pointed bracts 2–3 inches long surrounding small inconspicuous yellow flower clusters; bracts can nearly cover the entire tree.

Fruits ripen in late summer to early fall; the fruit is a round, edible drupe 1–1.5 inches in diameter, light red to pink, with a fleshy yellowish-orange interior containing a stone; fruits hang on stalks 1.5–2 inches long and are technically edible but are usually left for birds and wildlife.

Other Common Names

Chinese Dogwood, Japanese Dogwood

Size

Height: 20 ft. 0 in. – 30 ft. 0 in.

Width: 15 ft. 0 in. – 30 ft. 0 in.

Source: North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox