348 THE DOGWOOD FAMILY. 



BO, their petals very minute, and followed by white, semi-transparent 

 berries, the size of a large pea, and composed of sticky pulp, enclosing 

 a solitary seed. The gleam of the white berries, which are as pearls 

 to the red coral of the holly, is one of the most striking features of 

 this curious production. 



HABITATS AND LOCALITIES. 

 Common Mistletoe — {Viscum album.) 

 On apple-trees in gardens and orchards at Lymm ; Warburton ; 

 Atherton, near Leigh. (J. E.) Prestwich (also on hawthorns), Knuts- 

 ford, Baguley, and elsewhere, but very sparingly, and generally out of 

 public view, or Christmas thieves would have destroyed what little 

 there is. Fl. April, May. 



E. B. xxi. 1470; Baxter, i. 40. 



The raistletoe sold in the market is brought from the southern counties, and 

 chiefly from Worcestershire and Herefordshire. The plant is one of those which 

 fancy and superstition have fixed upon as the "forbidden fruit." That may 

 account for its being turned, in these degenerate days, once a year at least, into 

 the tree of privilege ! 



CVI.— THE DOGWOOD FAMILY. OomdcecB. 



An inconsiderable family of shrubs, and a few herbaceous plants, 

 with two native species, but near Manchester known only in gardens. 

 The common dogwoods are shrubs, with rather large, oval, acuminate, 

 and entire leaves ; cymes of small white tetramerous flowers, -with 

 four stamens, and seated upon the summit of the ovary. They gene- 

 rally have red twigs, and as would naturally be expected of doffwoods, 

 are thus partly indicated by their bark. The carnelian cherry, or 

 Cornus mascula, produces its abundant little yellow flowers in Feb- 

 ruaiy and March, or before the leaves, the cymes being surrounded 

 by an involucre. To this family belongs also the " spotted laurel," or 

 Aucuba Japonica, the large oval yellow-blotched leaves of which 

 fender it a great and popular ornament of cverj'^ garden. The minute 

 reddish-brown and unisexual flowers appear in May, but quite con- 

 cealed among the foliage. None but female plants of the Aiicuba 

 occur near Manchester, or anywhere, I believe, in Europe. 



