Young bracts with young admirer
Mature bracts at peak color
Round fruit to 1" diameter
Rutgers is introducing our first Cornus kousa in 45 years of breeding. This new cultivar, 'Rutpink', is tradenamed Scarlet Fire® dogwood, and is our darkest, most-consistently pink-bracted selection, with deep pink to fuchsia coloration at its peak.
This new cultivar is the product of a long standing program of hybridization and selection of big-bracted dogwoods, in this instance the result of an open-pollination event of an unnamed pink-bracted Cornus kousa breeding selection held in the Rutgers University germplasm collection. We have used molecular tools to identify the male parent and will publish that work.
The dramatic bracts glow pink from a distance unlike any other dogwood we have seen. Floriferous and precocious, the original tree flowered heavy at only 4 years old and budded plants can set many floral buds only after two growing seasons!
The medium-to-large-size bracts are generally non-overlapping and pointed giving them a very distinct shape that along with their striking color sets this plant apart from other Kousa dogwoods in the landscape. Developing bracts size up early and can be purple in color, with more pointed shape vs. the more rounded mature bracts. Leaves are an attractive dark green with purple tinges in new growth, especially on young plants. The moderately vigorous tree is well branched and grows 3+ feet in first year and to 8 feet high in years 8-10.
Patent, Breeders Rights, and Trademarks
- U.S. Patent Application No. 14756233. Published No. 2017/0066409
- EU UPOV Application No. 20160607 April 4, 2016
- Switzerland CPVO Application 20160025998 Feb. 18, 2016
- U.S. Trademark Registration NO. 5,069,732 Issued Oct. 25, 2016
- Madrid Protocol International Trademark Application Filed May 19, 2016. Ref. No. A0067190
More information (under construction):
- Where to buy Scarlet Fire®
- Photo Gallery
- Videos (will be added after June 2017)
- History of the program (coming soon)
- Scarlet Fire® dogwood poster (960 KB PDF)
- Scarlet Fire® dogwood ad (704 KB)
- Scarlet Fire® dogwood ad #2 (3.8 MB)
News, Articles, and YouTube Clips about Scarlet Fire®
- Cover page for Digger Magazine - July 2019 (PDF)
- Who let the dogwoods out?
Inside New Jersey (nj.com) March 22, 2018. - Preserving a mission.
Nursery Management (nurserymag.com) October 5, 2017. Cover story, by Susan Martin. - 'Scarlet Fire' kousa dogwood is culmination of 40 years of plant breeding
Everybody Gardens (gardens.everybodyshops.com) January 28, 2018 - Rutgers researchers unleash "Scarlet Fire" dogwood
Northjersey.com – June 9, 2017 - New dogwood tree variety developed by Rutgers is pretty – and tough!
History and description of tree, with photos of bracts and features of tree. nj1015.com – Feb. 2017 - This tree is on fire: Meet Rutgers' newest plant
History and description of tree, with photos of bracts and features of tree. nj.com – Jan. 2017 - Rutgers' New Pink Dogwood Adds Breakthrough Color to the Landscape
Rutgers Today – Feb. 2017 - A dogged approach to dogwoods
Digger magazine downloadable article, including history of Rutgers dogwood breeding program. diggermagazine.com – Feb. 2015 - YouTube clips on Scarlet Fire® and other Rutgers dogwoods