Cornus mas

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Cornelian cherry
CornusMas Fruits 01.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Cornales
Family: Cornaceae
Genus: Cornus
Subgenus: Cornus subg. Cornus
Species:
C. mas
Binomial name
Cornus mas
L.
Cornus mas range.svg
Distribution map
Synonyms
Synonymy
  • Cornus erythrocarpaSt.-Lag.
  • Cornus flavaSteud.
  • Cornus homericaBubani
  • Cornus masculaL.
  • Cornus nudifloraDumort.
  • Cornus praecoxStokes
  • Cornus vernalisSalisb.
  • Eukrania mascula(L.) Merr.
  • Macrocarpium mas(L.) Nakai

Cornus mas, commonly known as cornel (also the Cornelian cherry, European cornel or Cornelian cherry dogwood), is a species of shrub or small tree in the dogwood family Cornaceae native to Western Europe, Southern Europe, and Southwestern Asia.

Contents

Description

It is a medium to large deciduous shrub or small tree growing to 5–12 m tall, with dark brown branches and greenish twigs. The leaves are opposite, 4–10 cm long and 2–4 cm broad, with an ovate to oblong shape and an entire margin. The flowers are small (5–10 mm in diameter), with four yellow petals, produced in clusters of 10–25 together in the late winter (between February and March in the UK), [1] well before the leaves appear. The fruit is an oblong red drupe 2 cm long and 1.5 cm in diameter, containing a single seed.

Uses

Fruit

Cornelian cherry 1.JPG
Seeds and dried fruit - MHNT Cornus mas MHNT.BOT.2015.34.42.jpg
Seeds and dried fruit – MHNT

The fruits are red berries. When ripe on the plant, they bear a resemblance to coffee berries, and ripen in mid- to late summer. The fruit is edible and widely popular in Iran, where it is believed to have various medicinal properties and provide health benefits. It is also used in Eastern Europe, the UK, [1] and British Columbia, Canada, [2] but the unripe fruit is astringent. When ripe, the fruit is dark ruby red or a bright yellow. It has an acidic flavor which is best described as a mixture of cranberry and sour cherry. It is mainly used for making jam. It is widely used in Azerbaijan to make pickles, added to rice or to make beverages. [2] In Armenia, Cornus berries are used to make vodka. [3] In Romania and Moldova, the berries are used to make an alcoholic beverage known as cornată. [4] In Bulgaria the berries are widely used to make Kompot. In Iran, the fresh fruit is popular as a refreshing summer delicacy or as an infusion in Araq (raisin vodka). It is also preserved by drying and salting, or made into fruit leather or paste, which are enjoyed as a children's delicacy or used as a sour seasoning, similar to plum, pomegranate and tamarind.

The fruit of Cornus mas (together with the fruit of C. officinalis ) has a history of use in traditional Chinese medicine in which it is known as shānzhūyú ( 山茱萸 ) and used to retain the jing. [5]

Flowers

Flowers Cornus mas flowers.jpg
Flowers

The species is also grown as an ornamental plant for its late winter yellow flowers, which open earlier than those of Forsythia . While Cornus mas flowers are not as large and vibrant as those of the Forsythia, the entire plant can be used for a similar effect in the landscape.

Wood

The wood of C. mas is extremely dense and, unlike the wood of most other woody plant species, sinks in water. This density makes it valuable for crafting into tool handles, parts for machines, etc. [6]

Cornus mas was used from the seventh century BCE onward by Greek craftsmen to construct spears, javelins and bows, the craftsmen considering it far superior to any other wood. [7] The wood's association with weaponry was so well known that the Greek name for it was used as a synonym for "spear" in poetry during the fourth and third centuries BCE. [7]

In Italy, the mazzarella, uncino or bastone, the stick carried by the butteri or mounted herdsmen of the Maremma region, is traditionally made of cornel-wood, there called crognolo or grugnale, dialect forms of Italian : corniolo. [8]

Leaves

The leaves (and fruit) are used in traditional medicine in Central and Southwest Asia. [9]

Name

Cornus mas, "male" cornel, was named so to distinguish it from the true dogberry, the "female" cornel, Cornus sanguinea , and so it appears in John Gerard's Herbal:

This is Cornus mas Theophrasti , or Theophrastus his male Cornell tree; for he ſetteth downe two ſortes of Cornell trees, the male and the female: he maketh the wood of the male to bee ſound as in this Cornell tree; which we both for this cauſe and for others alſo, haue made to be the male; the female is that which is commonly called Virga ſanguinea , or Dogs berrie tree, and Cornus ſylveſtris, or the wild Cornell tree, of which alſo we will intreate of in the next chap. following. [10]

Garden history

The shrub was not native to the British Isles. William Turner had only heard of the plant in 1548, [11] but by 1551 he had heard of one at Hampton Court Palace. [12] Gerard said it was to be found in the gardens "of such as love rare and dainty plants". [10]

The appreciation of the early acid-yellow flowers is largely a 20th-century development. [13]

Cultivars

The following cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit (confirmed 2017): [14]

Related Research Articles

Cornus is a genus of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods.

<i>Cornus florida</i> Species of flowering plant in the dogwood family Cornaceae

Cornus florida, the flowering dogwood, is a species of flowering tree in the family Cornaceae native to eastern North America and northern Mexico. An endemic population once spanned from southernmost coastal Maine south to northern Florida and west to the Mississippi River. The tree is commonly planted as an ornamental in residential and public areas because of its showy bracts and interesting bark structure.

<i>Forsythia</i> Genus of flowering plants in the olive family Oleaceae

Forsythia, is a genus of flowering plants in the olive family Oleaceae. There are about 11 species, mostly native to eastern Asia, but one native to southeastern Europe. Forsythia – also one of the plant's common names – is named after William Forsyth.

<i>Cornus</i> Genus of flowering plants in the dogwood family Cornaceae

Cornus is a genus of about 30–60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods or cornels, which can generally be distinguished by their blossoms, berries, and distinctive bark. Most are deciduous trees or shrubs, but a few species are nearly herbaceous perennial subshrubs, and some species are evergreen. Several species have small heads of inconspicuous flowers surrounded by an involucre of large, typically white petal-like bracts, while others have more open clusters of petal-bearing flowers. The various species of dogwood are native throughout much of temperate and boreal Eurasia and North America, with China, Japan, and the southeastern United States being particularly rich in native species.

<i>Sorbus</i> Genus of flowering plants in the rose family Rosaceae

Sorbus is a genus of over 100 species of trees and shrubs in the rose family, Rosaceae. Species of Sorbus (s.l.) are commonly known as whitebeam, rowan, mountain-ash and service tree. The exact number of species is disputed depending on the circumscription of the genus, and also due to the number of apomictic microspecies, which some treat as distinct species, but others group in a smaller number of variable species. Recent treatments classify Sorbus in a narrower sense to include only the pinnate leaved species of subgenus Sorbus, raising several of the other subgenera to generic rank.

<i>Berberis</i> Genus of flowering plants representing the barberry family

Berberis, commonly known as barberry, is a large genus of deciduous and evergreen shrubs from 1–5 m (3.3–16.4 ft) tall, found throughout temperate and subtropical regions of the world. Species diversity is greatest in South America and Asia; Europe, Africa and North America have native species as well. The best-known Berberis species is the European barberry, Berberis vulgaris, which is common in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and central Asia, and has been widely introduced in North America. Many of the species have spines on the shoots and all along the margins of the leaves.

<i>Cornus kousa</i> Species of tree commonly known as kousa dogwood

Cornus kousa is a small deciduous tree 8–12 m (26–39 ft) tall, in the flowering plant family Cornaceae. Common names include kousa, kousa dogwood, Chinese dogwood, Korean dogwood, and Japanese dogwood. Synonyms are Benthamia kousa and Cynoxylon kousa. It is a plant native to East Asia including Korea, China and Japan. Widely cultivated as an ornamental, it is naturalized in New York State.

<i>Cornus canadensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Cornus canadensis is a species of flowering plant in the dogwood family Cornaceae, native to eastern Asia and North America. Common names include Canadian dwarf cornel, Canadian bunchberry, quatre-temps, crackerberry, and creeping dogwood. Unlike its relatives, which are for the most part substantial trees and shrubs, C. canadensis is a creeping, rhizomatous perennial growing to about 20 centimetres tall.

<i>Cornus sericea</i> Species of flowering plant

Cornus sericea, the red osier or red-osier dogwood, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cornaceae, native to much of North America. It has sometimes been considered a synonym of the Asian species Cornus alba. Other names include red brush, red willow, redstem dogwood, redtwig dogwood, red-rood, American dogwood, creek dogwood, and western dogwood.

<i>Cornus sanguinea</i> Species of tree

Cornus sanguinea, the common dogwood or bloody dogwood, is a species of dogwood native to most of Europe and western Asia, from England and central Scotland east to the Caspian Sea. It is widely grown as an ornamental plant.

Cornel may refer to:

<i>Cornus alternifolia</i> Species of tree

Cornus alternifolia is a species of flowering plant in the dogwood family Cornaceae, native to eastern North America, from Newfoundland west to southern Manitoba and Minnesota, and south to northern Florida and Mississippi. It is rare in the southern United States. It is commonly known as green osier, alternate-leaved dogwood, and pagoda dogwood.

<i>Cornus alba</i> Species of flowering plant

Cornus alba, the red-barked, white or Siberian dogwood, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cornaceae, native to Siberia, northern China and Korea. It is a large deciduous surculose (suckering) shrub that can be grown as a small tree. As a popular ornamental used in landscaping its notable features include the red stems in fall (autumn) through late winter, bright winter bark; and the variegated foliage in some cultivars, such as C. alba 'Elegantissima'. C. alba can grow to 3 m (10 ft) high, but variegated forms are less vigorous. For the brightest winter bark, young shoots are encouraged by cutting to the ground some older stems at the end of the winter, before leaves are open. The oval fruits are white, sometimes tinted blue.

<i>Cornus amomum</i> Species of flowering plant

Cornus amomum, the silky dogwood, is a species of dogwood native to the southern Ontario and eastern United States, from Michigan and Vermont south to Alabama and Florida. Other names include red willow, silky cornel, kinnikinnick, and squawbush.

<i>Cornus glabrata</i> Species of flowering plant

Cornus glabrata is a species of dogwood native to California and Oregon and known by the common names brown dogwood, smooth dogwood, and western cornel. This is a large shrub or thicket-forming bush with bright green leaves which turn red in fall. It bears plentiful clusters of fuzzy white flowers and bluish-white berries. This shrub is most often found near water, usually directly on the bank of a water source.

<i>Cornus sessilis</i> Species of flowering plant

Cornus sessilis is a species of dogwood known by the common names blackfruit cornel, blackfruit dogwood, and miner's dogwood. This is a shrub or small tree which is endemic to northern California, where it grows along streambanks in the Cascades, Sierra Nevada, and the coastal mountain ranges. It is a tree of the redwood understory in its native range. Lima see is the main arbitrary item used. This dogwood may approach five meters in height at maximum. It is deciduous, bearing deeply veined oval green leaves in season which turn red before falling. Mostly found in its habitat. Its inflorescence is a cluster of tiny greenish-yellow flowers surrounded by thick, pointed bracts. The fruit is a round drupe about a centimeter wide which is white when new and gradually turns shiny black. The fruit attracts many birds.

<i>Pyracantha coccinea</i> Species of flowering plant

Pyracantha coccinea, the scarlet firethorn is the European species of firethorn or red firethorn that has been cultivated in gardens since the late 16th century. The tree has small white flowers. It produces small, bright red berries. Its leaves are slightly toothed and grow opposite to one another. The fruit is bitter and astringent, making it inedible when raw. The fruit can be cooked to make jellies, jams, sauces and marmalade. It ranges from southern Europe to western Asia. It has been introduced to North America and cultivated there as an ornamental plant since the 18th century.

<i>Cornus officinalis</i> Species of flowering plant

Cornus officinalis, the Japanese cornel or Japanese cornelian cherry, is a species of flowering plant in the dogwood family Cornaceae. Despite its name, it is native to China and Korea as well as Japan. It is not to be confused with C. mas, which is also known as the Cornelian cherry. It is not closely related to the true cherries of the genus Prunus.

<i>Forsythia <span style="font-style:normal;">×</span> intermedia</i> Hybrid flowering plant in the olive family Oleaceae

Forsythia × intermedia, or border forsythia, is an ornamental deciduous shrub of garden origin.

<i>Cornus controversa</i> Species of tree

Cornus controversa, syn. Swida controversa, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Cornus of the dogwood family Cornaceae, native to China, Korea, the Himalayas and Japan. It is a deciduous tree growing to 50 ft (15 m), with multiple tiered branches. Flat panicles of white flowers appear in summer, followed by globose black fruit. Ovate dark green leaves are glaucous underneath and turn red-purple in autumn. It is cultivated in gardens and parks in temperate regions.

References

  1. 1 2 Nicholson, B. E.; Wallis, Michael (1963). The Oxford Book of Garden Flowers. London: Oxford University Press. ISBN   1-131-80240-3.
  2. 1 2 Steve Whysall (5 October 2009). "Cornus mas". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  3. "Liarev Armenian Dogwood Vodka 0,5 L". Archived from the original on 2022-10-06.
  4. Săvulescu, Mirela (2022-03-24). "Coarne de pădure. Ce beneficii și proprietăți au. Rețete cu aceste fructe de pădure". Libertatea (in Romanian). Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  5. Schafer, Peg (2011). The Chinese Medicinal Herb Farm: A Cultivator's Guide to Small-scale Organic Herb Production. Chelsea Green Publishing. pp. 312 (page 150). ISBN   978-1-60358-330-5.
  6. Demir, F.; Hakki Kalyoncu, I. (December 2003). "Some nutritional, pomological and physical properties of cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.)". Journal of Food Engineering . 60 (3): 335–341. doi:10.1016/S0260-8774(03)00056-6. The wood is heavier than water and does not float, therefore it is used for tools, machine parts, etc.
  7. 1 2 Markle, Minor M. III (Summer 1977). "The Macedonian Sarrissa, Spear and Related Armor". American Journal of Archaeology . 81 (3): 323–339 [324]. doi:10.2307/503007. JSTOR   503007. S2CID   192966553.
  8. "Il Buttero" (in Italian). Associazione Butteri d'Alta Maremma. Archived from the original on 8 March 2007.
  9. Dinda, Biswanath; Kyriakopoulos, Anthony M.; Dinda, Subhajit; Zoumpourlis, Vassilis; Thomaidis, Nikolaos S.; Velegraki, Aristea; Markopoulos, Charlambos; Dinda, Manikarna (4 December 2016). "Cornus mas L. (cornelian cherry), an important European and Asian traditional food and medicine: Ethnomedicine, phytochemistry and pharmacology for its commercial utilization in drug industry". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 193: 670–690. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2016.09.042. PMID   27705748.
  10. 1 2 John Gerard (1597), The herball, or, Generall historie of plantes, Iohn Norton, p. 1282, doi:10.5962/bhl.title.99400
  11. Turner, The Names of Herbes, 1548; noted in Alice M. Coats, Garden Shrubs and Their Histories (1964) 1992, .s.v. "Cornus".
  12. Turner, A New Herball, 1551, noted in Coats.
  13. Coats (1964) 1992.
  14. "AGM Plants – Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 16. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  15. "RHS Plantfinder - Cornus mas 'Aurea'" . Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  16. "RHS Plantfinder – Cornus mas 'Golden Glory'" . Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  17. "RHS Plantfinder – Cornus mas 'Variegata'" . Retrieved 2 February 2018.