I'd agree with Cornus mas, though somewhat surprised to see it planted in Vancouver (it is hardly ever planted here in Britain, despite being far closer to its native range!). Yes, the fruit is edible, though I've never had the opportunity to try it myself. From what I've read, it is more used for making jam than eaten fresh, so I guess it might not be too palatable when raw. Try one and see - it won't hurt!
Not particularly unfamiliar immediately to the south of coastal British Columbia in western Washington nurseries and plantings; the Center for Urban Horticulture (CUH in the second search result below) in Seattle has over twenty of them grouped together near the involved arterial where they attract interest at fruiting time, when the lawn beneath may become carpeted by the "cherries". At my previous habitation there was a long-established one directly across the street. Another property minutes away had an espaliered example that was 33 ft. tall when measured some years ago. Search: 5 results found for "cornus* mas*" — Raintree Nursery Living Collection Search | University of Washington Botanic Gardens 37 participating vendor listings for the typical species plus a number of different named selections being listed as having at least one current source here and there in the search result: RHS advice & tips on garden & indoor plants | Plant finder & selector / RHS Gardening
They're in parks and botanical gardens around Vancouver. My friends in the suburb just south of here had some fruits from them last week, not sure where they found them.
Thanks for all replies. I found them nearby the UBC. The cherries tasted a bit sour however nice treats for birds.
Native of Europe, cultivated for centuries in Britain. Before the introduction of the Japanese witch hazels the Cornelian cherry was the most effective of yellow-flowering shrubs in bloom as early as February. It is still one of the most valuable we have Cornus mas - Trees and Shrubs Online
I know! But that still doesn't explain why you very rarely ever come across specimens of it. I've not seen a single one anywhere outside of 'professional' places like RBG Edinburgh.
C. mas was cultivated in Britain by 1596, and is popular in gardens. However, it was not formally recorded from the wild until 1927 (Oxon). Cornus mas | Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora (brc.ac.uk)
Agree it is not very common. I grew it in my old garden. Love the flowers and berries Also grew Cornus mas variegata.
Proves my point Your original claim was that it is hardly ever planted here in Britain. The Atlas - which has a main subject area of spontaneous occurrences in Britain and Ireland - after mentioning British cultivation history reports in the same sentence that the plant is popular in gardens. Followed by a mention of first known wild occurrence - clearly popular in gardens in this context = British gardens. Otherwise, being in a comparatively similar climate area I have been reading British gardening books, magazines (and later web sites) for over 50 years. I have also been there in person. And cultivation of wild plants does not radiate symmetrically so that the farther from natural distribution areas gardens are located the fewer of a given plant will be seen - look at all the Sino-Himalayan plants that continue to be introduced to western cultivation by westerners bringing them back to Britain and vicinity, North America directly from Asian collection sites many thousands of miles away.
So, on your visits to Britain, you can attest that you saw tens to hundreds (or more) of specimens of Cornus mas, every day? If you can't, then clearly, the citation as 'popular in [UK] gardens' is wrong, or at least very out-of-date (maybe it was popular a century or more ago, but if so, the overwhelming majority have died or been removed). I stand by my original claim that is it hardly ever planted in Britain.
tens to hundreds (or more) of specimens of Cornus mas every day There's a considerable difference between hardly ever and ubiquitous.
But not much difference between 'popular' and ubiquitous - to be popular, I'd think it'd be in at least 10% of gardens, which means in a day's travel, you'd see tens to hundreds (e.g. something like Syringa vulgaris, for a similarly-sized plant). And while you haven't confirmed whether you did or didn't, I certainly haven't. The fact that there's zero specimens recorded in multiple major cities strongly indicates against 'popular'.
The fruit is very similar in taste to a cherry, sweet with a little tartness when fully ripe....delicious on its own and makes a great jam. Only drawback is you need lots to make jam as they contain a very large seed. They also make a great specimen plant because they flower in late winter/early spring. FYI, I have 2 of these and they were not easy to find (got one at Gardenworks and the other for $5 on clearance at Art Knapps (Port Coquitlam, this location is now gone)