'3* 



CALYCIFLOR^ 



Natural Order XXXVIII 

 CORNER. The Cornel Tribe 



Sepals 4, attached to the ovary ; petals 4, oblong, broad at the 

 base, inserted into the top of the calyx ; stamens 4, inserted with 

 the petals ; ovary 2-celled ; style thread-like ; stigma simple ; fruit 

 a berry-like drupe, with a 2-celled nut ; seeds solitary. Mostly trees 

 or shrubs, with opposite leaves and flowers growing in heads or 

 umbels. A small Order, containing few plants of interest, which 

 inhabit the temperate regions of Europe, Asia, and America. _ In 

 the United States several species are found, the bark of which is a 

 powerful tonic, and has been used in place of quinine. Benthamia 

 jragifera, a handsome shrub from the mountains of Nepal, was in- 

 troduced into England in 1825. In Cornwall, where it was first 

 raised from seed, it flowers and bears fruit freely, and forms a 

 pleasing addition to the shrubbery. Two species of comas are in- 

 digenous to Britain. The cornus of the ancients was the present 

 Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mascula), whose little clusters of yellow 

 starry flowers are among the earliest heralds of spring. Its fruit is 

 like a small plum, with a very austere flesh, but after keeping, it 

 becomes pleasantly acid. The Turks still use it in the manufacture 

 of sherbet. A similar species is commonly cultivated in Japan for 

 the sake of its fruit, which is a constant ingredient in the acid 

 drinks of that country. The shrub now common in this country 

 under the name of Spotted Laurel (Aucuba Japonica) belongs to 

 this Order. 



1. Cornus (Cornel). Characters described above. (Name from 

 the shrub so called by the Latins, from the horn-like nature of the 

 wood.) 



1. Cornus (Cornel) 



1. C. sanguinea (Wild Cornel, 

 Dog- wood). A bushy shrub 5-6 

 feet high, with opposite, egg - 

 shaped, pointed leaves and ter- 

 minal cymes of creamy white 

 floivers ; the berries are small and 

 dark purple. The Spindle Tree 

 (Euonymus Europcea) and the 

 Guelder Rose (Viburnum Lan- 

 tana) have wood of a similar 

 nature, and the three were for- 

 merly much used for skewers, and 

 are frequently confused under the 

 common name Dog-wood. In 

 autumn the leaves assume very 



Cornus Sanguinea 

 (Wild Cornel, Dog-woud) 



