WHITE 



ROUND-LEAVED DOGWOOD. 



Cornus circmaia. Dogwood Family. 



A shrub six to ten feet high. Leaves. — Rounded; abruptly pointed. 

 Flowers. — Small; white; in flat, spreading clusters. Calyx. — Minutely 

 four-toothed. Corolla. — Of four white, oblong, spreading petals. Stamens. 

 — Four. Pistil. — One. Fruit. — Light blue ; berry-like. 



The different members of the Dogwood family are important 

 factors in the lovely pageant which delights our eyes along the 

 country lanes every spring. Oddly enough, only the smallest 

 and largest representative of the tribe (the little bunch-berry, 

 and the flowering-dogwood, which is sometimes a tree of goodly 

 dimensions), have in common the showy involucre which is 

 usually taken for the blossom itself; but which instead only sur- 

 rounds the close cluster of inconspicuous greenish flowers. 



The other members of the genus are all comprised in the 

 shrubby dogwoods ; many of these are very similar in appear- 

 ance, bearing their white flowers in flat, spreading clusters, and 

 differing chiefly in their leaves and fruit. 



The branches of the round-leaved dogwood are greenish and 

 warty-dotted. Its fruit is light blue, and berry-like. 



The bark of this genus has been considered a powerful tonic, 

 and an extract entitled " cornine," is said to possess the proper- 

 ties of quinine less strongly marked. The Chinese peel its twigs, 

 and use them for whitening their teeth. It is said that the 

 Creoles also owe the dazzling beauty of their teeth to this same 

 practice. 



ALTERNATE-LEAVED DOGWOOD. 



Cornus alterttifolia. Dogwood Family. 



A shrub or tree eight to twenty- five feet high. Branches. — Greenish 

 streaked with white. Leaves. — Alternate ; clustered at the ends of the 

 branches; oval; long-pointed. Floxvers. — White; small; in broad, open 

 clusters. Calyx, Corolla, etc. — As in above. Fruit. — Deep blue on red- 

 dish stalks. 



In copses on the hillsides we find this shrub flowering in May 

 or June. Its deep blue, red-stalked fruit is noticeable in late 

 summer. 



30 



