Cornus mas       220

This is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing 2-6m tall, exceptionally reaching 8-9m. The crown is regular, bushy, hemispherical, and may expand more horizontally up to 5m. The trunk is straight, sometimes with sinuous or multiple stems, the branches ends often drooping. The bark is grey-brownish, peeling off in scaly flakes like crocodile skin. The young shoots are hairy grey-greenish, becoming hairless later.

The leaves are opposite with a short stalk, oval, 3-5cm wide and 6-8cm long, with an entire margin that is shortly acuminate and supplied with visible parallel veins. They turn to mahogany red in autumn.

The flowers are small, 5-10mm in diameter, hermaphrodite, with four yellow petals and on long peduncles, clustered in groups of 10-25 together in umbels. They bloom in late winter before the leaves sprout.

The fruit is a fleshy, bright red cherry-like drupe, which ripens in mid-late summer. It is olive-shaped, 12-15mm long, with a smooth and shiny rind, and containing two seeds. The fruit is edible when it falls and is dispersed by animals.

The wood of cornelian cherry has been valued over the centuries for its hardiness, durability and flexibility. In ancient Greece, the wood was considered one of the most valuable precious woods. In the Virgil’s Aeneid the cornelian is cited as wood used for the Trojan horse. Ptolemy attested the use of this wood for the Macedonian cavalry spears. During the Roman period it was favored to make the shafts of javelins. Pliny wrote that cornelian cherry wood was used for making ‘spokes of wheels, or else for making wedges for splitting wood, and pins or bolts, which have all the hardness of those of iron’. Records of its use continued for centuries, prized for weapon construction, such as bows, darts, pikes, etc., and other tools. More recently this wood has been used for the manufacture of wheel spokes, ladder rungs, and tool handles. The wood has reddish sapwood and dark brown heartwood, of a fine texture and difficult to split.

Edible plant
It is edible thanks to its fruits known as Cornelian cherry. When they are soft and ripe, they can be eaten raw because they are sweet. On the other hand, when they are still firm and orange, they are prepared in brine like olives because they are very acidic. When they are bright red and still acidic, they can be made into jams, jellies, compotes or pies. Dried and powdered, they can go in yoghurts. The juice from the fruit can be used to make lemonade while the fruit can be used to make wine or vinegar.

Medicinal plant
The rind and the fruit have astringent properties that are useful in causing tissues and blood vessels to contract and to stimulate blood clotting. They are also used to lower fever.

- Dictionnaire des plantes médicinales et vénéneuses de France, Paul-Victor Fournier. 2010. ISBN
- Encyclopédie des plantes alimentaires, Michel Chauvet. 2018 pag. 161-162. ISBN
- European Atlas of Forest Tree Species. 2016. Link
- Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, P.H. Davies. 1984 Vol. 4 pag. 441. ISBN
- Ornamental woody plant breeding, selection and evaluations for cold climate conditions, West, TP. 2020 pag. 159-162. Address
- Plantes comestibles, cueillette & recettes des 4 saisons, C. Anglade, G. Lalière, C. Leray. 2012. ISBN

- eFloras. eFloras.org Vol. 2 pag. 108042. Cornus
- Flora iberica, Santiago Castroviejo. 2010 Vol. 8 pag. 136-138. ISBN
- Flora of North America. Cornus
- Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, P.H. Davies. 1984 Vol. 4 pag. 539-541. ISBN
- System and synopsis of Cornus subgen. Syncarpea (Nakai) Q. Y. Xiang (Cornaceae), Xiang Qiu-yun. Bulletin of Botanical Research 1987 Vol. 7(2) pag. 33-52. Address

Indigenous plant
Biological type: tree
Frost resistance: 5ºF
Leaf color: dark green
Flower color: yellow
Fragrant: Yes
Estimated lifespan: ± 250 years
IUCN Red List of threatened species status: Least Concern

Specifications for the Mediterranean basin
Adult size (h x w): 26,2ft x 16,4ft
Sun exposure: part sun (Sun hours: >3h <6h
Foliage: deciduous
Growth: fast
Flowering time from February until March

Specific information for our garden
Planting substrate: 30%Compost+30%Coco+40%Sand
Plant watering: 3x a week pH 6.5
Logical sequence of containers for: Trees; forestry plate, forestry pot 3L, container 6L, container 55L, container 110L, container 240L
Propagation is done by cuttings

Ecology in its country of origin
Rainfall: 500-1000mm
Clay soil: a little
Sandy soil: much
Coastal soil: not at all

SPRING Soak the seeds in ambient water for 12h. Keep under room temperature for 16 weeks in a humid substrate. Keep in refrigerator at 39°F for 16 weeks in humid substrat. Sow the seeds at 10mm depth in the Well Drained Seed Sowing Mix between 59-68°F. During germination keep the substrate moist and in daylight.

Germination references
- Raising trees and shrubs from seed, Peter Gosling. 2007. Address
- Seed propagation of mediterranean trees and shrubs, Piotto and A. Di Noi. 2003. Address
- Seeds: Ecology, Biogeography, and, Evolution of Dormancy and Germination, Baskin, Carol & Baskin, J.M. 2014 pag. 1-1586. DOI
- Tree Seed Online. https://www.treeseedonline.com/.

- Senteurs du Quercy (Cornus mas)