Susan Kline wrote: >I planted a Cornelian cherry dogwood here in my rented yard >about five years ago, and it's a fine big tree now, Yes, they are a member of the dogwood family. >with lots >of the little fruits. I like them when they are almost starting >to dry on the bush, and are soft and plumlike. Quite delicious. Yes, they need to be very ripe, soft, and dark red to be any good. >Thanks for sharing your experiences in Central Park. I'm back from a trip to Prospect Park, my local park. I found the Cornelian cherries, though slim pickings. And I found the blackberry patch. Much, much smaller than the patch in Central Park. Again slim pickings, but he took a tour through last weekend and they probably picked things clean. I also found some sassafras, which you can pull up and boil the root. And use the leaves. The small ones in the shade will die anyhow. I also came across some large nut tree. It had large heart shaped leaves (8" x 6") with smooth edges. I didn't find it in his book, so for now I'll assume the nuts, when they fall later, will be inedible. I then went over to the Botanical Gardens. I found four mayapples, only one ripe, which I tried. The other three will ripen in time. Then leaving I came across four Cornelian cherry trees, but I guess these having been watered (the ones in the parks were drying out) and all the fruit was now gone. There is a paw-paw tree in the garden. But I gather they don't want people taking the fruit. As for my little yard, rowhouses don't really have yards, I did learn on yesterday's tour that wisteria flowers are edible, but not the seed pods. In spring I have lots of flowers. Then thumbing through his book I see that Kousa dogwood has an edible fruit. But I've never seen fruit on my little one. Don.