450 CORXACE^E. 



Lidics deciduous, alternate or verticillate, compound, petiolate, mostly with stipules. 

 F'ioiccrs ill racemose or panicled umbels or heads, 5-numerous ; calyx-tube adnate to the ovary; 

 petals sometimes united ; disk epigynous ; stamens as many as the petals, alternate with them, 

 and inserted on the disk ; ovary 1-several-celIed, each cell containing a solitary auatropous 

 pendulous ovule ; styles as many as the cells of the ovary. Fruit baccate ; seeds with thin 

 testa, small embryo and abundant albumen. 



THE HESCITLES-CLUB, ETC. Genus ARALIA L. 



Spiny trees, shrubs and herbs of about thirty species about a half dozen of which ar» 

 natives of North America, the remaining of Asia. Of the American species one only is arbor- 

 escent. 



Leaves pinuately or ternately decompound. t!:'0 petioles enlai-ged and claspini; nt the base. 

 Flowers mostly perfect, sra^ill, greenish vhite ; pedicels pointed; calyx-lobes minute, valvate : 

 petals imbricated in the bud ; stamens v.'ith filiform filam.ents and oblong introrse, 2-celled 

 anthers longitudinally dehiscent ; cvary inferior, mostly 2-5-celled. styles of same number, 

 dehiscent or united at base. Fruit a 2-5-seeded berry laterally compressed or 3-5-angled and 

 tipped with the remnants of the styles ond calyx-lobes and containing 2-5 compressed seeds 

 with straight r.Tdicle and oblong cotyledons. 



The name is of obscure derivation. 



For species see pp. 85.^-355. 



EOG-WGOB FAMILY. CORNACE.^ Link. 



The Dogwood Family consists of trees and shrubs of about sixteen genera and eighty-five 



species mainly of north temperate regions. Two genera have arborescent representatives in 



North America. 



Leaves deciduous, simple, variously arrnnged and without stipules. FJoircrs regular, in 

 cymes, heads, or solitary; calyx adnate to the ovary, its iirab 4-.'5-toothed or none; petals 4-.'i 

 or noi^e ; disk e]:i,;«nous ; st.imGns as many as the petals and in.serted with them on the margin 

 of the disk; anthers introrse, 2-cel!cd with a solitary anatropous suspended ovule in each cell. 

 Fruit a 1-2-seeded drupe ; seed oblong with foliaceous cotyledons and copious albumen. 



KEY TO THE GENERA. 



Flov.-ers pf'i'fpot. arranged in fours ; leaves mostly opposite Cornns. 



Flowers dicocious or polygamous, petals 5, very small or none; leaves alternate.... Nyssa. 



THE B00-W00B3 OE COEHELS. Genus CORNUS L. 



Trees and shrubs of about forty species widely distributed throughout the north temperate 

 zone and one species in Peru. Sixteen or seventeen species are found in North America of 

 which four are arborescent. 



Leaves deciduous, mostly opposite. Floirers perfect, small, in cymes or heads, the latter 

 with an involucre of showy white bracts in somie species; calyx with 4 small lobes, valvate in 

 the h'ld ; d'sk epigenous ; petals 4, valvate ; stamens 4, alternate with the petals exserted and 

 witli >' iiue-r filamentg; ovary 2-celled, each cell containing a single ovule, with simple colum.nar 

 style and capitate or truncate stigm.^.. Fruit an oblong drupe with thin fle.sh and bony or 

 crusla'cous 2-celicd and u<?ually 2-seeded stone. 



The name is from the Latin cornu, horn, alluding to the hardness of the wood of some 

 of the species. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



a Flowers greenish, in dense heads with 4 large white involucral bracts ; fruit red. 



C. Florida. 

 a* Flowers white, in loose cymes, without bracts 



Fruit blue ; leaves smooth above C. alteraif olia. 



Fruit white ; leaves scabrous above C. asperifolia. 



For species see pp. 856-361. 



THE TTJPEIOS. Genus NYSSA L. 



Trees of five species of which four are natives of eastern North America and the remain- 

 ing one of southenstern Asia. They produce very fine grained tough wood, with contorted 

 fiber and annual rings indistinctly indicated. The fruit is very tart and is sometimes used in 

 conserves. 



