Carnelian Cherry
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| The national fruit of Turkey, a member of the dogwood family, this shrub grows cultivated in parks and backyards throughout the US.
A good source of vitamin C, it even contains chemicals that may fight diabetes. |
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Carnelian Cherry Branch with Fruit Let the sour fruit ripen at room temperature until dark purple, eat raw, or cook with herbs or spices, a sweetener and thickener, and use in pies, puddings, and cakes. Pen-and-ink drawing by "Wildman" |
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Carnelian Cherry Bush in Flower
Small yellow flowers blooming on this shrub are among the first signs of spring. |
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Carnelian Cherry Flower Cluster
The tiny, odorless flowers grow in globular clusters. |
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Carnelian Cherry Flower
White-tipped pollen-covered stamens surround a cylindrical stigma, the pollen's destination. |
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Carnelian Cherry Branch with Fruit
Note the opposite (paired), oval, toothless leaves, onion-shaped buds, and clusters of oblong, dark red fruit. Watercolor pencil painting by "Wildman" |
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Unripe Carnelian Cherry Fruits
Each fruit hangs from the twigs from a slender fruit stalk. |
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Unripe Carnelian Cherry
The hard, red fruit is still unripe. |
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Ripe and Unripe Carnelian Cherries
The fruit, which ripens off the bush, is ready to eat when soft enough to crack, and dark purple-red. This usually happens in the second half of summer, although some bushes wait until fall. The fruit on the top right with the crack is at its peak. |