Dogwood, Cornus
tree or shrub of the family Cornaceae

Etymology: from Latin word meaning horn, because its wood is hard as horn. Origin: the Corneliancherry Dogwood, Cornus mas and the blood Dogwood, Cornu sanguinea, are European species, from oriental Mediterranean coast. There are superb American and Asiatic species, used to decorate gardens. Habitat: half shade or light. Dogwoods appreciate limestones, rather dry. They fear soils rich in organic fertilizations, as well as compact clay soils. Hardiness: zone 6 (they support cold until -23 °C or -9 °F). Height: 14 m tall.

Their fruit (the Cornelian cherries) is ripe in August-September: it is a drupe, only edible those of Dogwood male.

Difference	Dogwood male, Cornus mas	Dogwood blood, Cornus sanguinea	Dogwood of Japan, "bear-strawberry", Cornus kousa
Origin	Oriental Mediterranean coast	Oriental Mediterranean coast	Japan
Size	10-15 m	shrub of 3-5 m	18 m
Leaves	8 cm	8 cm	12 cm
Colour in autumn		They turn to red
Flowers	yellow in umbels *, from February	white to yellowish and small, in June	encircled with big yellowish, abundant bracts in spring
Fruits	red drupe of 2 cm, alone or by two	black, of 0,6 cm, grouped,	raised on a petiole, red, of appearance of a strawberry.

Uses: the berries of the male dogwood (dogwood cherries) ferment (dogwood cherries wine), can be distilled or cooked in jam. Some oil extracted from the fruit of the blood dogwood, it is possible to make soap.