Photo by Markus Krieger on iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
FruitSeason: August – September
Cornelian cherry
Cornus mas
- When
- Typically August – September — August, September. Earlier in warm, low country; later in the hills.
- Where it grows
- Woodland edges, scrub and rocky slopes, especially on limestone, in central and south-eastern Europe; planted in parks and old gardens.
- How to know it
- A shrub or small tree that covers itself in clusters of tiny yellow flowers in February and March, long before the leaves. Leaves opposite, oval and smooth-edged; in late summer, glossy, oblong red fruits about 2 cm (¾ in) long, each with one stone.
- Look-alikes
- Yew also has red fruit, but it is an open-ended cup showing a deadly seed, on a conifer with needles. Honeysuckle berries come in pairs and are not food. A cornelian cherry is a solid, olive-shaped fruit on a broadleaf shrub with opposite leaves.
- Harvest and use
- Wait until they are dark ruby-red, soft and dropping — before that they are astringent. Jam, syrup and sour sauces, and fruit brandies such as Romania’s cornată.
- Caution
- Spit out the stone.
Cornelian cherry at a glance
- Also called
- European cornel, cornel cherry; cornouille (France), Kornelkirsche or Dirndl (Germany, Austria), corniolo (Italy), dren (Serbia, Bulgaria)
- Family
- Cornaceae (dogwood family)
- Where it grows
- Native to southern and central Europe and south-west Asia, in woods and scrub especially on limestone — from eastern France and southern Germany through Austria, Czechia, Hungary, Romania and the Balkans to Italy, Greece and Turkey. Naturalized in Britain from old plantings.
- When to pick
- Yellow flowers in February and March, ahead of forsythia; the fruit ripens in mid to late summer, mostly August and September, and is ready when it is deep red and soft enough to drop.
- Parts used
- The flesh of the ripe fruit, raw or cooked. The single stone is not eaten.
Questions people ask about cornelian cherry
When are cornelian cherries ripe?
Late summer, usually August into September. Wait for dark ruby-red, soft fruit that falls when the branch is shaken; unripe ones are astringent.
What do cornelian cherries taste like?
Tart — somewhere between cranberry and sour cherry. That is why they go into jam, syrup, sauces and fruit spirits rather than the fruit bowl.
Is the cornelian cherry a real cherry?
No. It is a dogwood (Cornus); the name comes from its cherry-like red fruit, which holds a single stone.
Can children eat cornelian cherries from the park?
Yes, once you are sure of the tree and the fruit is fully ripe — and the stone goes in the bin. Yew often grows in the same parks and also has red fruit, but it is an open cup showing a seed, and that seed is deadly.
Found in these regions
Hardiness zones 4–8.
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Checked against these sources ·
Seasons are typical for the middle of the range and move by weeks north and south, and up and down hills.
Educational information only. Never eat a wild plant or mushroom identified from a single photograph or description — confirm with a regional field guide or an experienced forager, and know the poisonous species in your area first.