The Dogwood With More

Even non-plant people know forsythia.  In these parts, it is the classic harbinger of spring, with its brassy yellow blossoms appearing along with the red-winged blackbirds, chorusing frogs and Florida snowbirds.  But there is another woody plant, with just as much yellow appeal, which pops even before forsythia.  It is the cornelian cherry dogwood.

You are forgiven if you’ve never heard of this dogwood, which botanically goes by the name Cornus mas.  While many know the flowering dogwood, and some have heard of the kousa and red-twigs, cornelian cherry is not a standby of the nursery industry and therefore doesn’t often show up in garden centers.  It does have a lot going for it, most notably its ultra-early floral display when it cloaks itself in tiny blooms.  This happens reliably each year, and while it might not compete with the showiest of magnolias or cherries, it beats them all to the punch, when we most desperately need some eye-candy.  Ever see a magnificent magnolia hit by frost?  That brown, mushy disaster is less likely to happen with a cornelian cherry, since the blossoms are resistant to temperatures down to 18 F.  

Usually grown as a small, rounded tree, perhaps reaching 15 to 20 feet, C. mas in full bloom looks especially good in front of a red-brick building, and is sometimes deployed this way in urban landscapes and college campuses.  Trees develop gray-brown to deep brown exfoliating bark, which provides character, and tend to be more adaptable than most other dogwoods as to sun exposure and soil.  It also exceeds its kin in being quite insect and disease resistant.  Cultivated examples well over 100 years old are known, which is positively ancient in the small tree world. 

The last characteristic I’ll describe, fruit production, can be looked at in at least two ways.  At Rutgers, we were taught that the large, bright red fruits, often borne in great abundance, were a nuisance.  Don’t plant a cornelian cherry dogwood near a walkway or building entrance, it was said, because everyone will be traipsing through the mess on the sidewalk and dragging it indoors.  Certainly true.  There is much more at hand than messy feet, however.  Cornus mas is native to eastern Europe and western Asia, and has been part of the regional people’s diet for some 7,000 years.  Initially quite tart, the fruits reportedly take on a sweeter, more plum-like flavor as they fully ripen, making them useful for fresh eating as well as for preserves, wine, pies and baked goods.  Unfortunately, I’ve never sampled one, so I’m no help here, but I pledge to nibble on some in the future.  Rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals, including the always-important “C,” the fruits also contain significant levels of calcium pectate fiber, which can positively impact cholesterol levels, and anthocyanin, an anti-oxidant.  Large pits, difficult to remove from the fruits, and a prolonged period of ripening are challenges to wide-scale production, but cornelian cherry might just be a super-food of the future.