Question: Hi Arthur, I have a two dogwoods inMass in my yard, Cornus mas, whose fruits are edible and Cornus Florida, …
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Question
Hi Arthur, I have a two dogwoods inMass in my yard, Cornus mas, whose fruits are edible and Cornus Florida, whose fruits are said by some studies to be poisonous, or non-edible, or unpalatable but non-poisonous. I bit one of the drupes and it is very bitter with what looks like a high lipid content. I have a book that lists that Indians would regularly deseed the drupes, mash them up and cook/mix with other fruits. So it appears that Indians ate them cooked but I'm also told they are poisonous.
Answer
Dear Howard, good morning. I'm not aware of any reliable reports of Benthamidia florida (synonym: Cornus florida) being consumed as a food. The plant was used extensively for medicine by the Indigenous of Turtle Island (North America). However, food use appears to be absent based on the usual sources that I examine for ethnobotany. Best wishes.
