Cornelian cherry

Synonyms: Cornelian cherry (true Cornelian), Cornelian (male), male cornel, Rogovik, Dern.

A species of shrubs or small trees of the genus Cornus of the family Cornaceae. The name derives from the Turkish, Chagatai or Uyghur word «kyzylǯyk», which means «red». In the wild it grows in the Caucasus; cultivated forms are widespread in Moldova, Ukraine and Central Asia, Italy, France, Poland, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia.

It is a deciduous tree or multi-stemmed shrub 5-6 m (3-4 m) tall. Crown spreading, rounded or broadly pyramidal. Bark dark gray-black, branches horizontally spreading. Young shoots pubescent, greenish-gray, older ones covered with gray, fissured bark.

It has a fibrous root system located mainly at a depth of 40 cm.

O. V. Tome «Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz», 1885

Leaves simple, opposite, 3.5-8 cm long, oval, bright green, glossy, with 3-5 pairs of veins. In autumn they turn brick-red.

Flower bud formation occurs simultaneously with shoot growth. Blooms for 10-14 days in March-April, before leafing, at temperatures of +8-12 °C. Flowers small, golden-yellow, gathered in umbrel-shaped inflorescences of 15-25 flowers, bisexual. The calyx is barely noticeable with four teeth, the corolla yellow with four petals, four stamens, inferior ovary two-celled, style simple, at its base there is a fleshy disk. The plant is well pollinated, but pollination between flowers within the same plant does not occur. For good pollination it is necessary to plant at least two plants of different cultivars. It is an excellent nectar source for bees.

Fruits – juicy drupes with elongated-oval stones. Fruit shape varies – from long- or short-oval, globose or pear-shaped. Fruit surface smooth, tuberculate or slightly tuberculate. The stone 7-15 mm long, almost smooth, with one, two or three seeds. Fruit color from light red to dark purplish or almost black. They have a sour-sweet or sweet-sour taste and a distinctive pleasant aroma. Average weight 2-6 g. Flesh makes up 68-88% of the total fruit weight. Yield is high and annual; at 12 years gives 25-30 kg of fruit, at 25 years up to 100 kg. Fruits can ripen off the tree without losing their taste qualities.

Lives and bears fruit for a long time, from 120 to 250 years.

Hardiness: 5b. Withstands frosts down to −32—35 °C; if partially frozen, it restores the crown well from basal shoots. During brief cold snaps during flowering, the flowers close and remain so until it warms up.

Cultivars: 'Red Star' ('Vidubetskii'), 'Helen', 'Ukraine', 'Jolico', Elegant, Svetlyachok, Semen, Evgenia, Vladimirsky, Nezhny, Vavilonets, Grenader, Nikolka, Priorsky. There are cultivars with white fruits - 'Alba', and also with bluish-purple - 'Violacea'. There are several ornamental forms - 'Pyramidalis', 'Aurea', 'Aurea Elegantissima', 'Variegata'.

Location: not demanding on soil, but grows better on light soil with good aeration and permeability; recommended pH 5.5-6. The plant is drought-tolerant but prefers moderately moist soils. Light-loving and shade-tolerant. Grows well in partial shade. Groundwater level should not be closer than 1.5-2 m.

Planting: planting is recommended in early spring – late March to early April, before bud break. Autumn planting is best done no later than mid-October (2-3 weeks before the first frosts). Planting holes are dug 80-100 cm in diameter and 70-80 cm deep. Compost and humus are divided into two parts; one part is mixed with the topsoil and mineral fertilizers – this mixture fills the hole halfway in the form of a mound upon which the seedling is planted. The second part is used to cover the roots at planting. After planting the plant is watered at a rate of 30-40 liters per hole. Trunk circles are mulched. After planting the seedling's above-ground part is cut back by 1/2-1/3 to balance the above-ground and root parts. Seedlings transplant well even at an older age – 5-12 years. In garden plots cornel trees are usually planted near the boundary of the plot, set back 3-4 m. On fertile soils planting scheme: 6 x 6 m or 5 x 6 m; on poorer soils – 4 x 5 m.

Pruning: tolerates pruning well. Special pruning to increase yield is not required. Formative pruning begins in the first years. Seedlings are formed with a stem height of 50-70 cm and 5-7 scaffold branches. Shoots growing below the stem height are removed. In subsequent years only sanitary pruning is applied. At the age of 15-20 years perform rejuvenation pruning in early spring before sap flow begins.

Care: consists of weed removal, soil loosening, watering and fertilizing. In spring trunk circles are recommended to be fertilized with organic matter at 2-3 kg/m². Mineral fertilizers: in autumn apply phosphorus – 30-35 g/m², in spring – nitrogen 15-20 g/m² and potassium 10-12 g/m². Responds well to irrigation.

Diseases and pests: in the conditions of Ukraine no diseases and pests have been detected.

Propagation: propagated by root suckers, seeds, cuttings, layering, grafting. Seed-grown plants begin to bear fruit in 5-6 years; with vegetative propagation seedlings begin to fruit in 2-3 years after planting. For seed propagation stratification of more than a year is required. Cultivar cornel is most often propagated by grafting.

Uses: Cornelian fruits are consumed fresh, dried, and used for making preserves, jams or compotes. Leaves, bark, fruits and stones are widely used in medicine. In landscape design cornel is used on rocky areas, protective shelterbelts, and hedges.