Cornus Kousa Satomi edible fruit

Discussion in 'Cornus (dogwoods)' started by Denise, Apr 14, 2008.

  1. Denise

    Denise Active Member

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    Do you think the fruit of the Kousa Satomi tree is edible? I have read conflicting information on the UBC site. Other web information tend to say you can eat it, but it is bland? Do the different varieties of Kousa vary in terms of their edibility?
     
  2. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Unless there is some unpleasant chemicals that some individuals may contain, that I haven't heard or read about all forms would be expected to be edible but perhaps none are tasty, so it's kind of an academic point. Large-fruited cultivar 'Big Apple' IS being promoted as a fruit tree, I have grown one for some years but have not gotten fruits to develop fully.
     
  3. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Is that what this tree is? I saw it this morning on my walk and it finally occurred to me it might be a Cornus of some sort. The fruits measure about 5 cm in diameter.
     

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  4. Silver surfer

    Silver surfer Generous Contributor 10 Years

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    Looks like Cornus capitata, to still have all the leaves on at this time of year.Already the flower buds are on the tree waiting to open next year.
    C. K. Satomi is decidous.
     

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    Last edited: Jan 16, 2009
  5. tabbydan

    tabbydan Member

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    Cornus kousa is tasty.
    I always like to gather the fruits from landscape plants in my area (they are not varieties developed for fruit mind you). You may want to go with a varity developed for fruit like 'Big Apple' just to get a decent harvest.
    Keep in mind the skin is not tasty, and the pulp next to the skin is very gritty. I like to take ripe fruits and squeeze the pulp out into my mouth.

    C. mas also has edible fruits (completely different flavor and texture though) as does C ??? (bunchaberry). I've harvested wild bunchaberry once and the ones I tried were disgusting (supposedly some taste nice though).
     
  6. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Notice in addition to being thicker and persistent the leaves of C. capitata are grayish. Specimen shown has tall narrow shape and is probably the right size to be from a recent distribution of C. capitata made by Piroche Plants, Pitt Meadows under the Mountain Moon trademark. They began selling such material in the 1990s, so larger and older examples than one pictured here may be present elsewhere in Vancouver - maybe even in a publicly accessible, labeled collection.
     
  7. tabbydan

    tabbydan Member

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    I forgot to add:
    eat C. kousa only when it is ripe. The fruits should be red and soft.... otherwise instead of being tasty they might be unpleasant. They may be able to ripen off the tree (I don't know) but I usually pick the ones that don't require strong tugs to come off the plant.
     

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