2016Myths & Flora - Cornelian Cherry or European Cornel in Myths - First Day Cover

Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.), as a bush or short tree from the dogwood family Cornaceae, grows on the vast area of the Balkan Peninsula and Central Europe up to Caucasus and Small Asia. It is known by its yellow flowers, edible red sour berries (European cornel), but also as a rigid, heavy and tough tree, that may grow up to 8 metersin height and can reach a lifetime of over 200 years. The cornelian cherry is inherent in human nutrition for 7000 years already, taking into consideration evidence of the remnants of human meals from North Greece from the New Stone Age (neolitic). In Croatian onomastics the name appears in the 14th century in folk names such as Drijenko, Drenislav, last names such as Drenić, Drenovac, Drnovšek and in names of places such as Drenica, Drenov Klanac, Drenje, Drinovci and others.