::trixxie17

gallery

I spotted this shrub outside the museum I visited this week and did some research. The Cornelian Cherry Dogwood is native to central and southern Europe, and to Asia. It probably was introduced into the US before 1800 possibly by Thomas Jefferson. This tree or shrub grows well in a variety of soils. In the Midwest US it reportedly is the longest-lived kind of dogwood tree. Depending on how it is pruned it functions as a large shrub or a small tree. The species is also grown as an ornamental plant for its late winter flowers, which open earlier than those of forsythia, and, while not as large and vibrant as those of the forsythia, the shrub form can be used for a similar effect in the landscape. The berries when ripe on the plant bear a resemblance to coffee berries, and ripen in mid- to late summer. The fruit is edible (mainly consumed in Eastern Europe and Iran), but the unripe fruit is astringent. The fruit only fully ripens after it falls from the tree. When ripe, the fruit is dark ruby red or a bright yellow. (from wikipedia and the OPLS)