Its red ,gets rid of fleas (Cornus (Dogwood))

Member Name: mumsymary

Product:	Cornus (Dogwood)
Date:	30/12/02 (769 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: colour

Disadvantages: spreads easily

Cornus/ dogwood
Corniceae officianalis

I often go on conservation work party’s clearing scrub from chalk grass land Dog wood is one of the shrubs I often have to clear it seems to sprout up everywhere pushing out other plants.

Dogwood is a native of China Japan and Korea. The name Cornus comes from Latin Cornu meaning horn , the wood is so hard it is like horn.!

Cornus is an attractive shrub to grow in your garden about 45 species of this plant is available
Cornus likes a well-drained soil. Soft wood cuttings can be taken in the summer to grow more trees I haven’t any in my garden as I view them as a bit of a pest. If you have some best pruned March April time to produce pretty stems for next winter.

It is deciduous a small tree, large shrub which has pretty coloured leaves in autumn it can grow a hieght of 4 t0 30 foot has a spread of 3 TO 20 FOOTit little yellow flowers which grow on the bare branches in late winter. Red berries follow these.Some varieties have black some white berries

The bark on the branches is very pretty a lovely dark red .I collected some to use as a winter Christmas display in my home. I entwined a little red shiny lamenta around a few of the branches it looks beautiful the red stems with an occasional red sparkle where the light catches the red lamenta I shall certainly use it again when I want some red colour in a flower display.
The berries are also good dried for decoration.

Cornus officinalis is used in Chinese medicine it is a sour astringent diuretic that is used as a tonic for the liver and kidneys. For urinary problems and impotence and nocturnal sweats. I have never used it as a medicine or known anyone who has so I cannot tell you if it is successful.

It is a skin allergen I would recommend wearing gloves when cutting it.
Just been searching to find a reason why it is called dogwood, Apparently it can be used to get rid of fleas on dogs!
A decoction is made from the leaves and the dog washed in it.
Dogwood can be used to make a red dye

Well writing this made me research the name and I found out something new I shall try to impress my friends with that fact when we are next on a work party cutting dog wood.

Thanks for reading happy New Year to you all lol Mary

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