N. ORD. CORNACE. 73 
GENUS.—CORNUS, TOURN. 
SEX. SYST.—TETRANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 
CORNUS SERICEA. 
SILEY DOGWOOD. 
SYN.—CORNUS SERICEA, LINN.; C. AMOMUM, DU ROI; C. CYANOCAR- 
PUS, MOEN.; C. LANUGINOSA, MICHX.; C. OBLIQUA, RAF. 
COM. NAMES.*~SWAMP OR FEMALE DOGWOOD, SILKY OR BLUEBERRY 
CORNEL, KINNIKINNIK;; (FR.) CORNOUILLE SOYEUX; (GER.) SUMPF- 
CORNEL. 
A TINCTURE OF THE FRESH BARK OF CORNUS SERICEA, LINN. 
Description.—This water-loving shrub grows to a height of from 6 to 12 feet. 
Branches spreading, dark-purplish (not brilliant red) ; branchlets silky-downy. 
Leaves narrowly ovate or elliptical, pointed, smooth above, silky-downy below 
and often rusty-hairy upon the ribs. sflorescence a flat, close, woolly-pubescent, 
long-peduncled cyme ; flowers creamy-white. Calyx teeth \anceolate, conspicuous. 
Petals lanceolate-oblong, obtuse. Stigma thick, capitate. rut pale blue, globose. 
Read description of Cornacee, p. 71. 
History and Habitat.—The Swamp Dogwood is indigenous to North America, 
from Florida to Mississippi and thence northward, where it grows in wet places, 
generally in company with Cephalanthus and Viburnum dentatum. It flowers 
northward in June, and ripens its azure fruit in September. 
The use of this species in general medicine has mostly been as a substitute 
for C. florida, than which it is less bitter, while being more astringent. The Cree 
Indians of Hudson’s Bay call the plant M/lawapamule, and use the bark in decoc- 
tion as an emetic in coughs and fevers. They also smoke the scrapings of the 
wood, and make a black dye from the bark by boiling it with iron rust+ A 
favorite tobacco mixture of the North American Indians, called Avunikinnik, is 
composed of scrapings of the wood of this species, mixed with tobacco in the pro- 
portion of about one to four. A good scarlet dye is made by boiling the rootlets 
with water. 
PART USED AND PREPARATION.—The fresh bark, including that of the 
root, is treated like that of the first-mentioned species; the resulting tincture has 
* The names Red Willow, Red Osier, Red Rod, and Rose Willow, are often given to this species, but they should 
only designate C. stolonifera, Michx. 
} E. M. Holmes in Am. Four. Phar., 1884, 617. 
