A smaller, slower and bushier form of evergreen dogwood. It makes a dense multi- stem shrub or small tree, depending on how it is trained. It would be quite suitable to for smaller landscapes or as a screen / hedging plant. At this stage I hesitate to call it dwarf based on observations of the parent in the ground here in Oregon, but it should most definitely be considered small stature. The overall outline is 1/3 taller than wide and rounded to a broad, loosely structured. pyramid.

Foliage:
Introduced to the US trade very recently and the only variegated form among evergreen dogwoods that I am aware of. The new leaves are rose red, maturing to green with a rich yellow and cream edge of varying widths. Some bands will be irregularly shaped and some with a wide swath all the way to the mid rib, which is also yellow. The yellow color gives way to more cream to cream-white later in the season.

Bark:
No significant ornamental characteristics noted.

Flower:
The late spring / early summer 4 bracted flower on this one is dainty and smaller by comparison to other evergreen dogwoods. The color is pure white, and observations of the parent indicate that it will take a few seasons after it is fully established to begin setting flower buds.

Fruit:
We have yet to see a fruit set here, but expectations are that it will yield the showy red fruits in autumn that Cornus are known for. And against an evergreen background the display is likely to be notable, however with smaller flowers usually comes smaller fruit so we would welcome any feedback on that as this tree gets more use amongst our customers.

Size:
Height 6’ to 8’ in 10 years
Width 4’ to 6’ in 10 years
Based on estimates in the ground in Oregon – warmer climates such as CA and southern environs will more likely yield these sizes in a shorter period.

Zone:
6 or 7 to 9 
It should be noted here that information on zonal tolerances vary widely on many evergreen Cornus species. While some have been reported as cold tolerant and surviving in zone 5 there is a point at which the evergreen character becomes less probable and a semi-evergreen plant is more likely.

The origins of this Asian originate remain somewhat clouded and our efforts to track down the species with absolute certainty are still underway. In addition to Cornus elliptica, other candidates include C. honkongensis, C. omeiense, C. capitata ssp. emeiensis, C. hongkongensis and possibly even hybrids thereof. My first inclination was to use Cornus “confuseallofus”, but I am sure such a name would incur the wrath of the gods of binomial nomenclature.