Native Trees of Kentucky 



119 



B. DOGWOOD GENUS CORNUS. 

 a. Flowering Dogzvood Cornns Honda. 



The flowering" dogwood is a 

 small, flat-topped tree found 

 under the shade of taller trees, 

 especially on rich hillsides. 



The white wood is exceed- 

 ingly hard and tough ; this fact 

 gave to the genus the name 

 Cornus, a horn. It is used for 

 hubs, tool handles and wood 

 engraving. Large quantities 

 are exported to Europe for the 

 manufacture of shuttle blocks. 

 The bark yields a red dye, and 

 a drug with the properties of 

 quinine. 



With its highly decorative 



flower, foliage and fruit, the Dogwood is easily in the foremost 

 rank as an ornamental tree. 



The small green perfect flowers, arranged in a dense cluster, 

 are surrounded by four large, white petal-like leaves notched at 

 the tip ; these showy white leaves are the expanded winter en- 

 velope of the flower bud. 



Tree small, bushy, with short trunk and slender branch^. 



Bark dark gray, checkered like alligator skin. 



Leaves opposite and simple; veins parallel, curving upward. 



Fruit scarlet, waxy berries, in clusters of 3 or 4. 



