The Tupelos and the Dogwoods 



autumn foliage are uncommonly fine, even for a dogwood. This 

 species is not quite constant in its characters outside of Michigan. 

 The European Dogwood, or Cornel (Cornus mas), is the 

 carnelian cherry of our parks and gardens. Its button-like 

 clusters of tiny yellow blossoms cover the bare branches in earliest 

 spring, preceding even the forsythia and the spice bush. The 

 scarlet fruits, as large as olives, make a brave show against the 

 glossy foliage in late summer. Dogwoods of exceeding beauty 

 come from Japan and from the Himalayas. But the average 

 American turns from all exotic species, no matter what their 

 charms, to his own Cornus florida, and in May votes it the most 

 beautiful of flowering trees. 



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