A slender shrub or tree with bright green leaves, growing several metres tall and producing brilliant red berries. Cornel was among the many plants observed by Frodo and Sam as they journeyed through Ithilien, though at the time of their journey (in the month of March) they were far too early to see cornel's prominent red fruit, which appears in late summer.
It is curious that the Hobbits apparently recognised2 the cornel they passed in Ithilien, because the plant prefers warmer climates and would be unlikely to grow in the wild as far north as the Shire. This suggests that cornel had been transported northward from Gondor at some point in the past (we know that this happened with pipe-weed, for example) and Sam as a gardener would have little difficulty recognising the plant.
Notes
1 |
There are various species of cornel found in different parts of the world, but the European cornel Cornus mas seems to fit most closely with the plant described as growing in Ithilien; it grows in the warm southern parts of Europe, which effectively corresponds with Ithilien in geographical terms. A possible (but unlikely) alternative would be Cornus suecica, the dwarf cornel. That plant also grows in Europe, but prefers colder climates and would thus be rather less suited to the latitudes of Gondor (though this more northerly variety might help to explain how Samwise of the Shire was able to recognise the plant).
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2 |
As Frodo and Sam travelled through Ithilien, they passed through a heath on which they found '...ling and broom and cornel, and other shrubs that they did not know.' (The Two Towers IV 4, Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit) If there were other shrubs unknown to them, that implies that cornel was one that they (or at least the gardener Samwise) were able to recognise.
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- Updated 14 January 2023
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