medicinal herbs
Dwarf Cornel
Cornus suecica

Herb: Dwarf Cornel

Latin name: Cornus suecica

Synonyms: Chamaepericlymenum suecicum

Family: Cornaceae (Dogwood Family)

Medicinal use of Dwarf Cornel:

The fruit is considered to be a good tonic for the appetite.

Description of the plant:

Plant:

Perennial

Height:

15 cm
(6 inches)

Flowering:

June
to July

Habitat of the herb:

Moors and heaths, usually under heather or bilberries.

Edible parts of Dwarf Cornel:

Fruit - raw or cooked. It is usually mixed with other berries. Bitter and unpalatable. The fruit is rich in pectin.

Other uses of the herb:

The fruit is rich in pectin. A good ground-cover plant, succeeding under trees and shrubs.

Propagation of Dwarf Cornel:

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame or in an outdoors seedbed if there is sufficient seed. The seed must be separated from the fruit flesh since this contains germination inhibitors. Stored seed should be cold stratified for 3 - 4 months and sown as early as possible in the year. Scarification may also help as may a period of warm stratification before the cold stratification. Germination, especially of stored seed, can be very slow, taking 18 months or more. Prick out the seedlings of cold-frame sown seeds into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow the plants on for their first winter in a greenhouse, planting out in the spring after the last expected frosts. Division in spring. This plant can be a bit temperamental when it is being divided. We have found it best to tease out small divisions from the sides of the clump, to avoid the need to disturb the main clump by digging it up. Try to ensure that each division has already produced some roots. Pot them up in light shade in a greenhouse and make sure that they are not allowed to become dry. Once they are rooting and growing away well, which might take 12 months, they can be planted out into their permanent positions.

Cultivation of the herb: