Dogwood trees are popular ornamental landscape plants with stunning, showy flowers. However, foragers know them better for their delectable berries. Some folks are even unwilling to share the trees’ location for fear of not getting their yearly harvest!
Important note: Not all Dogwood tree berries are safe for human or pet consumption. Here are a few tips to remember:
- If they are of edible varieties, only consume them in moderation.
- If you can’t identify the tree/berries or don’t have an experienced forager with you, DO NOT eat them.
- Avoid feeding these berries to your pets whether they are edible or not. It’ll help prevent gastrointestinal problems.
With that said, here are 3 Dogwood tree variants with berries that are safe to eat:
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Table of contents
1. Kousa/Chinese Dogwood (Cornus Kousa)
What are its prominent features?
- Hardiness zones: Zone 5-8.
- Mature height: 20-30 feet tall.
- Growth rate: Slow.
- Leaf: Lustrous, oval-shaped green leaves that emerge in spring. In the fall, they turn yellow or purple.
- Flowers: White cross-shaped bracts (i.e., modified leaves that look like petals) that turn pink as time goes on. The actual flowers are the tiny green clusters in the middle. These appear several weeks after the leaves unfurl.
- Fruits: Small bumpy, green berries that ripen to red/pink in late summer to fall. They contain sunset-tinged flesh with large, inedible seeds and taste like sweet tropical fruits such as mangoes and persimmons.
How do you eat the berries?
- Pluck the stem off the berries to create a small hole and squeeze the flesh through this opening or suck it out.
- Alternatively, you can slice the berries open and scoop the flesh out.
- Remove any seeds as they are inedible and discard the fruit’s skin.
What are its basic care needs?
- Sun: 6 hours or more of full sun. It can also thrive in partial sunlight conditions of at least 2-6 hours of light.
- Soil: Well-draining acidic soil that dries out before its next watering.
- Water:
- For young trees: Once a week to ensure their roots develop well. However, it’s best to water them more frequently during hot spells.
- For mature trees: Biweekly. They can handle occasional dry periods if you forget to water or there hasn’t been any rain lately.
Any helpful tips about planting this tree?
- It’s advisable to plant this tree in ample open space for its roots to grow extensively.
- Place mulch around the tree, leaving 3-5 inches of space away from the trunk to retain soil moisture
2. Cornelian Cherry Dogwood (Cornus Mas)
What are its prominent features?
- Hardiness zones: Zone 4-8.
- Mature height: 20-25 feet tall.
- Growth rate: Moderately slow.
- Leaf: Shiny, oval-shaped green leaves which appear in late spring after the flowers. By fall, they transition into a golden or burgundy color.
- Flowers: Clusters of small, yellow flowers emerge as early as late winter on the tree’s bare branches.
- Fruits: Smooth, yellow olive-like berries ripening to a dark red mid-summer. If they’re falling from the tree and are mushy soft, they are ready for harvest. Their taste profile is similar to sour cherries.
How do you eat the berries?
- They can be eaten like an olive, but be careful to remove the pit inside as you chew on the flesh.
What are its basic care needs?
- Sun: 6 hours or more of full sun. It can also thrive in partial sunlight conditions of at least 2-6 hours of light.
- Soil: Fertile, well-draining soil that is consistently moist.
- Water: Once a week to keep the surrounding soil damp.
Any particular precautions about planting this tree? Cornelian Cherry Dogwood tree tends to grow multiple stems. It’s helpful to snip them off the main trunk as soon as the shoots appear. Pruning the tree every two years after the flowers’ color fades will help keep it small. However, keep in mind that this may affect fruit growth, limiting the year’s harvest.
3. Canadian Bunchberry/Dwarf Dogwood (Cornus Canadensis)
What are its prominent features?
- Hardiness zones: Zone 2-6.
- Mature height: 1 foot tall.
- Growth rate: Slow.
- Leaf: Glossy, oval-shaped green leaves that turn red in the fall.
- Flowers: Small, white bracts (petal-like leaves) with a green cluster center emerging from late spring to early summer.
- Fruits: Tiny, bright red berries that appear from summer to fall. They’re said to be slightly sweet with a mealy texture when eaten raw.
How do you eat the berries?
- They can be eaten as is after giving them a thorough wash.
- You can also choose to dry the berries so they’ll become like raisins and contain a more concentrated sweetness.
What are its basic care needs?
- Sun: It thrives best in dappled shade with the indirect sun streaming from taller trees and plants. But it can also tolerate partial light exposure, i.e., 2-6 hours of full sun.
- Soil: Fertile, well-draining, and acidic soil that is consistently moist.
- Water: Once a week to keep the surrounding soil damp.
Any particular precautions about planting this tree? Where possible, grow this plant somewhere shaded under several trees or shrubs. It favors cool conditions and will suffer in zones with hot summers.
Final Words
Even if you don’t plan on foraging for Dogwood tree berries, you can always opt to watch the birds and wildlife critters fight over them during the summer. It’s no wrestling match, but it is its own scenic entertainment.
References:
https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/2011/1-12/dogwoods.html
https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/dogwood/
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cornus-kousa/
https://www.uky.edu/hort/Flowering-Dogwood
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cornus-mas/
https://hgic.clemson.edu/a-beautiful-dogwood-with-edible-fruit/
