Cornus mas L. European Cornel

Cornus mas L. - European Cornel

Scientific Description:

Shrub or small tree, 3−5 m. Leaves lanceolate to broadly elliptic, 2.5−8.5 cm, with 3−5 pairs of veins. Inflorescence 1.5−2.5 cm diam., 15−20-flowered, subsessile; bracts 6−10 mm, ovate-lanceolate. Flowers greenish to pale yellow; petals 2−3 mm; sepals c. 0.5 mm. Drupe 12−15 × c. 7 mm, ellipsoid to cylindrical, yellow at first, becoming red.

 

Flowering time: March−May.

Habitat: Broad-leaved forest, scrub, 20−1500 m.

 

Reference:

Chamberlain DF (1972). Cornus mas L., In: Davis PH (ed.), Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 4: 541.

Public Description:

Cornus mas, known as “European cornel”, grows naturally in Türkiye, Southern Europe, the Caucasus, Iran, Turkey, Lebanon and Syria. It is a small tree or bush that grows up to 5 meters in length. The flowers are yellow and the fruits are bright red. The use of cornelian berries is based on very ancient histories and was used as a food in ancient Greece 7,000 years ago. In Türkiye and Iran it is consumed with salt as a snack in summer, and traditionally drunk in a cold drink called “kızılcık şerbeti”. It is used both as a food and as a medicine in Eastern Europe. Because it is rich in vitamin C, it is used against colds and flus.

 

References:

Anonymous 1 (2016). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornus_mas, Accessed date: 05.02.2016.

Anonymous 2 (2016). http://uncommonfruit.cias.wisc.edu/cornelian-cherry/, Accessed date: 05.02.2016.

Mataracı T (2012). Cornus L. In: Güner, A., Aslan, S., Ekim, T., Vural, M. & Babaç, M.T. (eds.), Türkiye Bitkileri Listesi (Damarlı Bitkiler). Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanik Bahçesi ve Flora Araştırmaları Derneği Yayını. İstanbul, pp. 380–380.