Sarah Boggess, senior research associate, and Robert Trigiano, Chancellor’s professor in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology published a scientific article in HortScience, which is featured on the cover, focusing on the development of two new cultivars of the Cornus kousa, ‘Melissa’s Mountain Snowfall’ and ‘Sarah’s Mountain Pixie’. These cultivars were developed from a plot of thirty-year-old trees at the University of Tennessee Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Both cultivars were selected for their unique characteristics and pathogen tolerance.

‘Melissa’s Mountain Snowfall’ is a multitree with an inverted pyramid shape growing 16 to 20 feet high and approximately 23 feet wide. It features exfoliating bark, and the peak fall foliage is red. ‘Sarah’s Mountain Pixie’ is a short, bushy single-trunk tree with widely ovate leaves. It grows only 12 to 15 feet in 30 years and has small-shaped bracts. The large fruit produced is bright-red purple when mature in the fall.

By exploring the genetic analyses using previously developed microsatellite markers, Boggess and Trigiano confirmed the cultivar releases were unique from other closely related cultivars. The loci revealed that ‘Melissa’s Mountain Snowfall’ and ‘Sarah’s Mountain Pixie’ genetics were unique compared to other closely related cultivars and individuals within the same plot of trees.

HortScience, a peer-reviewed journal published by the American Society for Horticultural Science, publishes articles in applied horticulture research for researchers, educators, and practitioners. The full publication is available at https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI17489-23.