THE CORNEL. 257 



berries, surrounded by a dark purple calyx. In the au- 

 tumn all the species turn to different shades of red and 

 purple. 



The little dwarf Cornel, though an herbaceous plant, 

 deserves mention in connection with the other species. 

 It may be compared to a flower cut off with a single 

 whorl of leaves, and then inserted into the ground. You 

 might suppose that the large tree Cornel was buried, and 

 that these little whorls, with their flowers, were peeping 

 up through the ground from the branches beneath. At 

 some distance they are easily mistaken for wood-anem- 

 ones, though on examination no resemblance is apparent. 

 The flowers are very showy and attractive in the wild 

 pastures and woods, and produce in the autumn a round 

 and compact cluster of scarlet berries, which are said to 

 be pleasant and wholesome, but rather insipid. In winter 

 they are the food of many species of birds. 



