Cornus controversa var. controversa (wedding cake tree, "Mizuki")

Japanese name: ミズキ （水木）
Scientific name: Cornus controversa var. controversa

[Overview]
A deciduous tree 10–15 m tall.
Young branches are reddish purple and hairy at first, later becoming hairless.
The branches spread horizontally, giving a distinctive tiered tree shape.
Leaves are simple and alternate, elliptic to ovate, 6–15 cm long and 3–8 cm wide, with 5–9 pairs of lateral veins.
The upper surface of the leaf is glossy.
The leaf margin is entire.
The petiole is 2–5 cm long.
Corymbs 6–12 cm across at the branch tips bear many small white 4-petaled flowers.
The fruit is a spherical drupe 6–7 mm across, ripening purplish black.
The stone of the fruit has shallow longitudinal grooves and a deep depression at the tip.
It resembles Kumano-mizuki, but can be distinguished by its alternate leaves, earlier flowering season, shallow grooves on the surface of the stone, and a depression at the tip of the stone.

[Uses]
The wood is used for geta (wooden clogs) and utensils, and in Tohoku it is used as material for kokeshi (wooden dolls).

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed.
It prefers sunny, well-drained, moisture-retentive, fertile soil, but is not very particular about soil type.
It tolerates partial shade, but flowering may be poor if the site is not sunny enough.
When planted in the ground, it becomes a large tree and needs plenty of space.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
Apply organic fertilizer around the base in winter.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

[Notes]
The Japanese name comes from the fact that when branches are cut in early spring, the sap drips down like water.

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