THE DOGWOOD 



BY DR. R. W. SHUFELDT, C. M. Z. S. 

 CORRESPONDING MEMBER. THE ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA 



IF there be one growth which more than any other im- 

 presses us with the charms of the early days of May 



in the country, the Flowering Dogwood is most as- 

 suredly the one. More than this: the same magnificent 

 tree or shrub is equally decorative for a long time in the 

 autumn. At the latter season, however, it is the leaves 

 and not the flowers that are the parts so brilliantly in 

 evidence. They are simply gorgeous in their coloring, 

 and their blaze of scarlets, crimsons, reds, and golden 

 yellows may be perceived through the woodlands and for- 

 ests fully as far as one can see. The bunches of waxy 

 berries, a rich vermilion in color, take part in all this, 

 adding their share 

 to the general rich 

 color scheme. 



This Flowering 

 Dogwood is the 

 species that gener- 

 ally comes up in 

 one's mind in speak- 

 ing of dogwood ; but 

 as a matter of fact, 

 it is but a single 

 representative of 

 quite a nvunerous 

 group or family, 

 which botanists 

 have designated as 

 the Dogwood fam- 

 ily, or CornacecB . 

 Some of these may 

 be herbaceous 

 growths, but only 

 rarely is such the 

 case ; as a rule, they 

 are either trees or 

 shrubs. In struct- 

 ure they are all 

 interesting. In one 

 genus of them the 

 flowers are found 

 to be perfect, and 

 the leaves generally 

 alternate. In a sec- 

 ond group of dog- 

 woods the flowers 

 are unisexual — the 

 two kinds being 

 found on separate, 

 individual shrubs. 

 In this genus, too, 

 the leaves are alter- 

 nate, and the flow- 



AN EXCEPTIONALLY HANDSOME DOGWOOD TREE 



Fig. 1. — This magnificent specimen of Dogwood in full blossom presents the correct form of its growth 

 when not impinged upon by surrounding trees. It will be observed that, when in full flower, its leaves 

 are but little more than started. 



ers greenish. It has received the name of Nyssa, and 

 to it have been relegated the Tupelos, the Pep- 

 pcridges, and the Sour Gums. These are all trees, and 

 the word Nyssa is derived from "Nymph," as the original 

 species is a tree that grows in the water. All the species 

 are trees, indeed Nyssa aqiiatica is a large tree. There is 

 also the Black Gum {N . sylvatica), and its variety biflora, 

 which is also a tree flourishing in the marshes of some of 

 the Southern States. These three are all the species in 

 the genus Nyssa; and the already mentioned Black Gum, 

 with its dense, close-grained wood, finds some use in par- 

 ticular trades where such a wood is in demand. 



Strange to say, 

 the Dogwood fam- 

 ily is related upon 

 the one hand to the 

 Parsley family, and 

 upon the other to 

 the Heath family 

 (Er icacecB); this 

 brings us to a con- 

 sideration of its 

 typical genus or 

 group, the genus 

 Cornus, containing 

 the Cornels or true 

 Dogwoods. The 

 wood of all these 

 dogwoods is ver- 

 ily as hard as horn ; 

 and, as the Latin 

 name for a horn is 

 cor mi, we have the 

 generic name Cor- 

 nus. Apart from 

 the characters of 

 the more minute 

 structures, there 

 are three very 

 prominent ones: 

 the bitterness of the 

 bark, which pos- 

 sesses certain tonic 

 properties; the 

 tough, hard wood, 

 and the entire, op- 

 posite leaves (ex- 

 cept in one species) . 

 Next to the 

 Flowering Dog- 

 wood, in the matter 

 of being a favorite 

 plant, is, perhaps, 

 217 



