noun
kousa dogwood; Japanese flowering dogwood
A deciduous tree native to East Asia, known for its showy white bracts in early summer and edible red fruit in autumn. Often planted as an ornamental.
庭にヤマボウシを植えた。
I planted a kousa dogwood in the garden.
ヤマボウシの白い花がきれいだ。
The white flowers of the kousa dogwood are beautiful.
ハナミズキ (flowering dogwood, Cornus florida) is a related North American species with pink or white bracts, while ヤマボウシ is the East Asian species with pointed bract tips.
The name ヤマボウシ is said to derive from the resemblance of the central flower cluster to the head of a 山法師 (yamabushi, mountain ascetic). The kanji 山法師 and 山帽子 are ateji based on this association.