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nafex - Re: [nafex] [NAFEX] Looking for recommendation for CORNELIAN CHERRY (Cornus mas), and/or scionwood or nursery source.

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  • From: Ginda Fisher <list@ginda.us>
  • To: NAFEX Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [nafex] [NAFEX] Looking for recommendation for CORNELIAN CHERRY (Cornus mas), and/or scionwood or nursery source.
  • Date: Wed, 29 Aug 2012 22:19:44 -0400


On Apr 3, 2011, at 12:26 PM, Ginda Fisher wrote:
>> On Apr 1, 2011, at 3:09 AM, Steven Covacci wrote:
>>
>>> Group:
>>>
>>>
>>> CORNELIAN CHERRY [C. mas] -
>>>
>>>
>>> I'm looking for a recommendation for a cultivar (selected for edibility)
>>> for cornelian cherry dogwood (Cornus mas); and perhaps scionwood or a
>>> nursery that carries the cultivar.
>>>
>>
>> I have three C. mas, Jolico, Elegant, and something else whose name tag is
>> currently buried in the snow. One of these (not Jolico) has fruited. I
>> thought it was delicious. It was tasty but extremely sour when red and
>> firm, and sweeter and less sour and more richly flavored when it got soft.
>>
>> It took several years for the trees to fruit, and the one that finally did
>> fruit two years ago decided not to this year. I think one of the others
>> had female flowers last year, and might even have set a fruit or two, but
>> if it did it dropped them early in the season. So in my experience, this
>> crop takes a lot of patience.
>>
>> Mine are growing in the shade, though, so perhaps you'd get fruit faster
>> in the sun.
>>
> I got out and checked today, the third one (and the one that's fruited) is
> Pioneer. It and Elegant are older than the Jolico by a few years. The
> Elegant is the prettiest tree.
>
> Despite bits of snow still on the ground, the Cornus Mas is about to
> flower, the buds are about half open.

Update: I got ONE fruit from the Elegant this summer. As far as I can tell,
it looks and tastes exactly the same as the Pioneer. I picked them slightly
under-ripe (hey, the squirrels hadn't eaten them yet) and they were sweet,
sour, just barely bitter, and delicious. I am fond of sour fruit, and don't
care for apples that lack tartness, for example, so YMMV.

I'm not getting much fruit off these trees, but any fruit from a tree grown
in full shade feels like a win to me.


Ginda
Eastern MA, zone 6









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