Dogberry with the scientific name of Cornus mas is a tall shrub or small deciduous tree that is from the flowering dicotyledonous plants and Dogberry family. The tall of this tree in Iran is about 8 meters and its diameter is about 15 to 19 cm. This plant is the native of West Asia to Southern of  Europe (Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia, South West Asia and Southern Europe). The fruit of this tree calls Dogberry.

The trunk of this tree is brown. The leaves of this tree are in the Oval shape (Egg shape ) with a pointy end and the back of the leaves are pale. Each leaf has three to five leaf veins. Flowers of this plant are small, yellow and preterm and they are appearing on the tree in the winter. The fruit of this tree is hanging shaft and it is stretched in the oval shape and the colour of that is the intense red colour with the length of approximately 12 mm. This kind of tree is growing in Arasbaran (Kaleybar) and Hir (Qazvin) in Iran.

The fruit of Dogberry has the sour taste. From the ripe fruit of this plant compotes and jams are produced or it is consumed in the form of the Dehydrated shape such as dried sour cherry.

Dogberry Festival

Kaleybar because of its especial place that is located in between of the tall mountains has the special weather, this kind of weather is very suitable for growing the Dogberry. It could be argued that this plant is the symbol of identity of Kaleybar. In the end of the summer, the ripe Dogberries are selling in the most shops around the main street. In the recent years, the Kaleybar governor with a holding of Dogberry Festival has attempted to promote the commercial production and marketing.

Dogberry medicinal properties

According to the obtained results in a recent study, has been said that consume the Dogberry fruit has antidiabetic effects and it can improve the changes of the pancreas during the diabetes sickness that these effects are maybe due to the anthocyanin and other antioxidant compounds that they are found in this fruit. Other medicinal properties of  Dogberry also been extensively studied and reported in specialized magazines.

Dogberry wood

Dogberry wood has high density and unlike the other woods, it is not immersed in water. So because of this characteristic, this kind of wood in making a bunch of tools and car parts has great values. After the seventh century BC, the Greeks used charcoal wood in making spears and bows. Extensive use of charcoal wood in Weaponry made this word as the synonym of the spear. Until some years ago this kind of wood was selling in the Ahar city. From there that most of these woods are coming from the Arasbaran forest the government made bought and sell them limit to protect nature.