Cornus sanguinea

What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit, Oil

The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked, though it has a bitter flavour and can have an emetic effect on the body, making it not particularly worthwhile. The fruit is about 8mm in diameter. An oil extracted from the seed is edible once refined.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

Temperate. It grows in woodland and on the edges of ditches and roadsides. It is best in calcareous soils. It is resistant to frost but damaged by drought. Melbourne Botanical gardens. It suits hardiness zones 7-9.

TEMPERATE ASIA: Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Russian Federation-Ciscaucasia (Ciscaucasia), Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russian Federation (Dagestan) EUROPE: Denmark, United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Russian Federation (European part), Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, Ukraine (incl. Krym), Former Yugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy (incl. Sardinia, Sicily), Romania, Spain, France (incl. Corsica), Portugal

How to Identify

A deciduous shrub. It grows 4.5 m tall. The shoots are red-green. The leaves are narrowly oval and pale green and hairy. They have 3-4 main veins. They have short stalks. The leaves turn red-purple in autumn. The flowers are white and have a scent. They are 8-10 mm across. They occur in dense clusters. The fruit are blue-black. They are round and 5-8 mm across.

How to Grow

An easily grown plant, it succeeds in any soil of good or moderate fertility, ranging from acid to shallow chalk. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Plants are relatively shade tolerant, though they are not happy when growing in dense shade. They grow badly when exposed to strong cold winds. Plants are hardy to about -25°c. The flowers have a rather unpleasant smell to most people, though they are attractive to insects. Plants have a suckering habit and can quickly form dense thickets. They can be coppiced regularly and will throw up long straight stems after being cut back. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus.

Propagation: Seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe, either in a cold frame or an outdoor seedbed if sufficient seed is available. The seed must be separated from the fruit flesh, which contains germination inhibitors. Stored seed should be cold stratified for 3–4 months and sown as early in the year as possible. Scarification may also help, as may a period of warm stratification before the cold stratification. Germination, especially of stored seed, can be very slow, taking 18 months or more. Prick out cold-frame seedlings into individual pots once large enough to handle, grow on through their first winter under glass, and plant out in spring after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe side shoots can be taken in July/August in a frame. Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, taken with a heel if possible, can be taken in autumn in a cold frame, with a high success rate. Layering of new growth in June/July takes around 9 months to root.

Medicinal Uses

The bark is astringent and febrifuge, used to treat fevers. The leaves are sometimes applied externally as an astringent. The fruit is emetic.

Other Uses

The seed contains 45% of a non-drying oil used in soap making and lighting. A non-drying oil is also obtained from the pericarp, which contains 19–35% oil, and is used for lighting. A greenish-blue dye is obtained from the fruit. The young stems are very flexible and used in basketry. The wood is tough and hard, used for small items such as tool handles and turnery. A good quality charcoal is obtained from the wood, which also makes an excellent fuel. The plant can be used as a hedge.

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.

Production

There are about 45 Cornus species. The seeds yield a fatty oil.

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