542 CORNACEAE. (Vou. II. 
1. Erigenia bulbdsa (Michx.) Nutt. 
Harbinger of Spring. (Fig. 2709.) 
Sison bulbosum Michx. FI. Bor. Am. 1: 169. 1803. 
Erigenia bulbosa Nutt. Gen. 1: 188. 1818. 
Stem scapose, 3/-9’ high, bearing a leaf in- 
volucrate to the umbel. Basal leaves 2-4, 
petioled, ternately divided into thin oblong 
obtuse segments, the involucral one similar, 
smaller, short-petioled; petioles much dilated 
and sheathing at the base; umbels mostly com- 
pound, of 1-4 slender rays; involucels spatu- 
late or sometimes foliaceous; pedicels very 
short in flower, 1/’/-2%’’ long in fruit; fruit 
about 1/’ long and 14” broad. 
Ontario to western Pennsylvania, the District of 
Columbia and Alabama, west to Minnesota, Kan- 
sas and Missouri. Feb,—April. 
Family 92. CORNACEAE Link. Handb. 2:2. 1831. 
Doc-Woop FaMILy. 
Shrubs or trees, with simple opposite, verticillate or alternate, usually entire 
leaves, and regular perfect polygamous or dioecious flowers in cymes, heads or 
rarely solitary. Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary, its limb 4—5-dentate, or none. 
Petals generally 4 or 5, sometimes wanting, valvate or imbricate, spreading, in- 
serted at the base of the epigynous disc. Stamens as many as the petals or more 
numerous, inserted with them; filaments subulate or flat. Ovary inferior, 
1—2-celled in our species; style 1, short or elongated; ovules 1 in each cavity, 
pendulous, anatropous. Fruit a drupe, the stone 1—2-celled, 1-2-seeded. Seeds 
oblong; embryo nearly as long as the endosperm; cotyledons foliaceous. 
About 16 genera and 85 species, most abundant in the northern hemisphere. 
Flowers perfect, 4-parted; ovary 2-celled. 1. Cornus. 
Flowers polygamous or dioecious; petals minute or none; ovary 1-celled. 2. Wyssa. 
1. CORNUS L. Spel rryen 753. 
Shrubs or trees, with simple mostly entire opposite verticillate or rarely alternate leaves, 
and small white greenish or purple flowers, in cymes, or heads, the latter involucrate with 
large white bracts in our species. Calyx-tube top-shaped or campanulate, its limb minutely 
4-toothed. Petals 4, valvate. Stamens 4. Ovary 2-celled; stigmatruncate or capitate; ovules 
I in each cavity. Drupe ovoid or globular, the stone 2-celled and 2-seeded. [Greek, horn, 
from the toughness of the wood, ] 
About 25 species, natives of the north temperate zone, Mexico and Peru. Besides the follow- 
ing, 7 others occur in western North America. 
% Flowers capitate, with an involucre of 4-6 large white bracts. 
Low herbaceous shrubs; rootstocks slender. 
Upper leaves verticillate; flowers greenish. 1. C. Canadensis. 
Leaves all opposite; flowers purple. 2. C, Suecica. 
Tree or large shrub; flowers greenish. 3. C. florida. 
Leaves opposite *%% Flowers cymose, not involucrate. 
Leaves downy-pubescent beneath, at least when young; (sometimes glabrate in No. 5). 
Leaves broadly ovate or orbicular; fruit blue. 4. C. ctrcinata. 
Leaves ovate or ovate-lanceolate. 
Fruit blue; stone pointed at the base. 5. C. Amonum. 
Fruit white; stone globose, more or less broader than high. 6. C. asperifolia. 
Fruit white; stone compressed, much broader than high. 7. C. Baileyt. 
Leaves glabrate, or minutely pubescent beneath. 
Leaves ovate, short-pointed; twigs purple. 8. C. stolonifera. 
Leaves ovate-lanceolate, acuminate. 
Fruit white; twigs grey. 9. C. candidissima. 
Fruit pale blue; twigs reddish. 10. C. stricta. 
Leaves alternate, clustered at the ends of the flowering branches. 11. C. alterntfolia. 
