Cornus mas

Linnaeus

Sp. Pl. 1: 117. 1753.

Common names: European cornel cornelian cherry
Introduced
Synonyms: Cornus mascula Linnaeus
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 12. Treatment on page 449. Mentioned on page 450.

Shrubs or small trees, to 5 m, flowering at 2 m. Stems solitary, branching profusely from lower trunk, bark of thin broad plates that shed sporadically, leaving a mottled gray-tan to red color; branches splotched with maroon, brown, or red, eventually splitting along longitudinal swellings; branchlets green, densely appressed-hairy; lenticels maroon swellings, often erupting with corky surface. Leaves: petiole 5–10 mm, base encircling twig; blade elliptic, 4–9 × 2–4 cm, base cuneate, apex acute or short acuminate, abaxial surface yellow-green, appressed-hairy, tufts of erect hairs in axils of secondary-veins, adaxial surface dark green, sparsely appressed-hairy; secondary-veins 4–5 per side, most usually arising from basal 1/2. Inflorescences 10–15-flowered; peduncle 5–10 mm; bracts tan or brown, ovate, 0.5–1 cm, apex obtuse with apiculate tip. Pedicels lax, apex flared. Flowers: hypanthium narrowly conic, appressed-hairy; sepals 0.1–0.5 mm; petals bright-yellow, lanceolate, 3–4 mm. Drupes maturing from green to yellow, then red, ellipsoid, 10–15 × 5–7.5 mm; stone widely fusiform, 8–12 × 4–6 mm, with 2 lateral grooves on distal 2/3.2n = 18


Phenology: Flowering Apr–Jun; fruiting Aug–Sep.
Habitat: Disturbed areas, woodland margins.
Elevation: 0–1000 m.

Distribution

V12 546-distribution-map.jpg

Introduced; Ill., N.Y., Pa., Europe, Asia

Discussion

Cornus mas is regularly utilized in horticulture throughout North America and is a rare local escape.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Cornus mas"
versatile +  and dorsifixed +
flared +, obtuse +, acuminate +, short +  and acute +
curling +
ornamented +
Zack E. Murrell +  and Derick B. Poindexter +
Linnaeus +
mottled gray-tan to red color +
cuneate +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (9 cm90 mm <br />0.09 m <br />) +
lanceolate +  and broadly ovate +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
not petaloid +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
red +  and brown +
appressed-hairy +
European cornel +  and cornelian cherry +
expanding +  and minute +
Ill. +, N.Y. +, Pa. +, Europe +  and Asia +
red +, green +  and yellow +
distinct +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
ellipsoid +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.75 cm7.5 mm <br />0.0075 m <br />) +
0–1000 m. +
Disturbed areas, woodland margins. +
appressed-hairy +
terminal +  and axillary +
intrastaminal +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
bright-yellow +
distinct +
recurved +  and spreading +
lanceolate +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
Flowering Apr–Jun +  and fruiting Aug–Sep. +
[1-]2[-4]-carpellate +
broad +  and thin +
connate +  and distinct +
0.01 cm0.1 mm <br />1.0e-4 m <br /> (0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br />) +
Introduced +
free +  and distinct +
pointed +  and slightly rounded +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
fusiform +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
Cornus mascula +
Cornus mas +
Cornus subg. Cornus +
species +
deciduous +  and perennial +
tree +  and shrub +