![]() ![]() Joan Parry Dutton in Plants of Colonial Williamsburg informs that “…cornelian cherry was introduced into Dutch New Amsterdam from Holland in 1642 by Adrian Van der Donke – Yonkers was named for him…” Spreading into wider U.S. But yet there be sundry trees of them growing in the gardens of such as love rare and dainty plants, whereof I have a tree or two in my garden.” John Parkinson (1567-1650), apothecary to James I (1566-1625), included it in his monumental Paradisi in Sole Paradisus Terrestris, in the orchard section, “…the flowers are many small yellow tufts, as it were of short haires or threads set together, which come forth before any leafe, … the fruit are long and round berries, of the bigness of small olives, with an hard round stone within them, like unto an olive stone…By reason of the pleasantnesse in them when they are ripe, they are much desired…” The great herbalist, John Gerard (1545-1612) included it in the illustrated Herball, or Generall Historie of Plants, “…The floures come forth in the Spring in the moneth of Aprill: the berries are ripe in Autumne….it growes not wild in England. Introduced into Britain in the sixteenth-century, we have written accounts from notable early authors. Throughout the Middle Ages it was historically cultivated in monastery gardens. This tart/sweet fruit continued to be appreciated in Europe over the millennia. Exceedingly early knowledge of these plants’ fruits was recounted by Lee Reich in his Uncommon Fruits Worthy of Attention, “…a fruit that has been enjoyed by humankind for the past seven thousand years! At a site in northern Greece, early Neolithic peoples left traces of their meals of cornelian cherry, along with remains of einkorn, wheat, barley, lentils and peas.” These lustrous, red fruits, partially hidden by the leaves, were thought to resemble carnelian, a red form of semitransparent quartz, hence the common name’s origin. This density makes it valuable for crafting into tool handles, parts for machines, etc.When successfully pollinated, these flowers will produce in late summer, fleshy 5/8-inch, oblong drupes. Wood is extremely dense, and unlike the wood of most other woody plant species, sinks in water. ![]() It is also grown as an ornamental plant for its late winter flowers. It has an acidic flavor best described as a mixture of cranberry and sour cherry it is mainly used for making jam, makes an excellent sauce similar to crabnberry sauce when pitted and then boiled with sugar and orange, but also can be eaten dried. When ripe, the fruit is dark ruby red or a bright yellow. It only fully ripens after it falls from the tree. The fruit is edible, but the unripe fruit is astringent. When ripe (mid to late summer), the berries resemble coffee berries. Fruit is an oblong red drupe containing a single seed. Flowers are small, with 4 yellow petals, produced in clusters of 10-25 together in late winter, well before the leaves appear. The leaves are opposite, with an ovate to oblong shape. This is a medium to large deciduous shrub or small tree growing to 15-40ft tall, with dark brown branches and greenish twigs. In the dogwood family Cornaceae, native to southern Europe and southwest Asia.
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