Cornelian-cherry dogwood (Cornus mas) is indisputably cheery, producing dainty, tufted yellow flowers in March before its pointy deep-green foliage emerges, followed by red fruit in June and July.
This bouffant, fragrant deciduous shrub is actually not a cherry; it is in the genus Cornus (from cornu, meaning “hard”) with species such as kousa dogwood, and is native to Asia and Europe. Cornelian-cherry fruit has been used in medicine and in food such as jam.
The shrub grows 15 to 25 feet in height, acclimates to many soils and climates, and can live beyond a century. A Barrington specimen is on the “champion tree list” of the RI Tree Council. There are several in our area. You can view one on the Boulevard at the corner of Laurel Avenue.
Betsy Shea-Taylor
