Polly Hill planted one and so did Mermaid Farm’s Caitlin Jones.

Elspeth Hay, host of WCAI/NAN’s The Local Food Report, also knew its value. Calling this plant underappreciated, she featured it in a segment last August. All of these admirable women have piqued my interest in a terrific tree.

Estimable men concur. For centuries, Cornelian cherry trees have inspired health, wealth and even poetry. Hippocrates wrote of medicinal values associated with this species. Ovid provided a recipe in his poems, and Roman Ancients Virgil, Theophrastus, and Pliny contemplated this plant. The latter trio and their ilk of the time were prey to a misunderstanding of the species, which led to its scientific name. 

Cornus mas is the genus and species of the commonly called Cornelian cherry. Cornus means “horn” and describes the hard-wooded genus of plants known as dogwoods. This so-called cherry belongs there and not with the cherry (and other similar fruit-producing) genus Prunus.

Mas is believed to be a derivative for a root word for male and at the time of its naming, it was believed that this was a male plant whose female counterpart was another species, Cornus sanguinea (common dogwood). And don’t forget about Cornelian, which might result from the fruit’s ruddy color that resembles the gemstone cornelian (also spelled carnelian).

Native to Europe and Asia, Cornelian cherry was cultivated for its significant worth. Start with food. Many parts of the plant are edible, including leaves for tea, seeds ground for a coffee substitute or pressed for oil, and flowers as a flavoring.

By far, however, the most harvested part of the tree are the fruits. These fruits are described with a flavor that is a cross between a sour cherry and a cranberry. They can be used to make jelly or jam, though another fruit is recommended to be added to increase the pectin content, as Cornellian cherries are low in that compound.

Fruit leather, cordials, compotes and syrups are other ways to use the copious berries that ripen in summer. Most intriguing to me would be the use of those berries as pickles. Some sources suggest adding vinegar and making olive-like pickles.

Eating any of those products could bring health, since the fruits are known to be high in antioxidants and vitamin C. Medicinally, Cornelian cherry has been suggested as a treatment for cholera, diarrhea and other bowel complaints, and it has been historically employed as a febrifuge (fever-reducer) and as a nutritive for all around wellbeing.

Another fascinating feature of this tree is the ability of its wood to sink, rather than float, in water. This is due to the wood’s density which makes it valuable for tool handles, spears, bows and other implements.

Finally, folks commend this dogwood for its beauty. Its yellow flowers begin to color in early spring, with those clustered buttery blooms coming on the heels of witch hazel and just ahead of forsythia. Look for the one at Mermaid Farm across from the farm stand building on Middle Road, or make time for a trip to Polly Hill Arboretum to see her legacy trees.

American Trappist monk, poet and mystic Thomas Merton had this to say about Cornus blossoms: “The pale flowers of the dogwood outside this window are saints. The little yellow flowers that nobody notices on the edge of that road are saints looking up into the face of God.” 

Some say that only God can make a tree; but it is the poets, authors, cooks, farmers, gardeners and horticultural enthusiasts who can bring them vibrantly alive to our imaginations, our kitchens and our bellies.

Suzan Bellincampi is director of the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary in Edgartown, and author of Martha’s Vineyard: A Field Guide to Island Nature and The Nature of Martha’s Vineyard.