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Red dogwood (Cornus sanguinea), also known as blood red dogwood, beautiful flowering dogwood or hornbush, is a three to five meter tall shrub with characteristic red branches. The widespread shrub shows its flat, white umbels of flowers in the months of May to June, from which small, blackish stone fruits develop by autumn. Many an uninformed collector confuses the dogwood with elder.
The fruits of the red dogwood can be made into jam
Dogwoods are only slightly toxic to humans
Both the leaves and the bark, but also the roots contain the substance cornin, which is slightly toxic to humans and can cause diarrhea and stomach pains, especially in children. According to information from the information center against poisoning at the University Hospital Bonn, the fruits of the red dogwood are not poisonous when raw, but inedible. Cooked, however, they could be processed into fruit juice or jam. On the other hand, the hairy leaves, which are coated with calcium carbonate, can cause rashes in sensitive people as a result of touching them.
tips
Red dogwood is an important bee pasture, and its fruits serve as a food source for many wild birds. The plant is only dangerous for small pets such as guinea pigs, hamsters or rabbits.