Cornelian cherry
| European Cornel | ||||||||||||||||
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| Cornus mas L. | ||||||||||||||||
The European Cornel (Cornus mas) is a species of dogwood native to southern Europe and southwest Asia.
It is a medium to deciduous large 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 diameter), with four yellow petals, produced in clusters of 10-25 together in the late winter, well before the leaves appear. The fruit is an oblong red drupe 2 cm long and 1.5 cm diameter, containing a single seed.
The fruit is edible, with an acidic flavour; it is mainly used for making jam, but also can be eaten dried. In Armenia, the fruit is used for distilling vodka. In Turkey it is eaten with salt as a snack in summer times. Cultivars selected for fruit production in Ukraine have fruit up to 4 cm long. The species is also grown as an ornamental plant for its late winter flowers.
Its wood is denser than water. A dye may be produced from its bark and tannin is produced from its leaves.
