Scientific Name
Cornus x ‘Rutban’

Origin
Aurora is a hybrid variety created at Rutgers University by crossing the native dogwood (Cornus florida) with the Japanese or kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa).

Habitat
Does best in moist well-drained soils with a pH between 5.0 and 8.0. Likes an area with approximately 6 to 9 hours of direct sun a day.

Growth Nature
A medium to fast growing deciduous tree. Has an upright and pyramidal shape with dense , spreading branches towards the crown. Mature height is about 25 ft. with about a 20 ft. spread.

Points of Interest

• Hybridization was done to create a plant that could deal with issues caused by anthracnose throughout native populations.
• Fruit persists throughout the winter which is consumed by over-wintering birds.
• Thomas Jefferson and George Washington planted dogwoods at Monticello and Mount Vernon.
• The name “dogwood” has several possible origins. One story is that in Europe the bark from a similar looking plant called “dogwood” was used to cure the mange.
• Another explanation is that colonist considered it a scrub tree and dubbed it “dog tree” or “dog wood”.