COR'NEL, or CORNE'raAx CHERRY, Cornea mas, the cornus of the ancients, a tree or shrub of 15 to 20 ft. high, of the natural order cornaceee, a native of the middle and a. of Europe, and of great part of Asia. It is not found wild in Britain, although it is common in shrubberies, and was formerly much cultivated as a fruit-tree, as it still is in Germany and other parts of Europe. It has oval leaves, and small yellow heads of flowers, which appear before the leaves in spring, and which abound in honey, and are much frequented by bees. The fruit is oblong, a little larger than a sloe, shining, red, or rarely yellow or white. It is late in ripening, and until quite ripe is very aus tere; but when perfectly mellow, has an agreeable vinous acid taste: it is either eaten as it comes from the tree, or is made into a preserve, which is said to be tonic, and useful in diarrhea. When gathered unripe, it is pickled like olives. It was formerly also
fermented for a beverage. In Turkey, it is still much used in making sherbet. The wood of the C. is extremely hard and tough, and well adapted for those purposes of joiners and turners to which the size of the tree will admit of its application. It is used for making mathematical instruments.—DwAny C. (C. surcica), a native of mountain -pastures and bogs throughout the n. of Europe and in Britain, is a plant about six inches high, with creeping root, sessile ovate leaves, each stem producing a single umbel of a few purple flowers, followed by small sweetish red fruit, which is tonic, and has the power of remarkably increasing the appetite, whence the plant has received a Gaelic name, signifying plant of gluttony.—Dogwood (q.v.) belongs to the same genus.