746 



The Dogwoods 



or entire, bright green and sHghtly hairy, with impressed midrib above, pale, more 

 densely hairy, and prominently veined beneath. The flowers, appearing from March 

 to June according to latitude, are in dense, stout-stalked heads, surrounded by a 

 conspicuous involucre of usually 4 showy, white or pinkish, veined petal-like bracts ; 



these, when full}' grown, are obovate, 

 4 to 6 cm. long, notched and thick- 

 ened at the apex, the discolored por- 

 tion being that which formed the 

 bud covering during the winter. The 

 flowers are sessile in the axils of 

 small deciduous bractlets; the calyx 

 is green, narrowly funnel-shaped, the 

 lobes nearly triangular, as broad as 

 long; the petals are hnear, 3 to 4.5 

 mm. long, obtuse, reflexed, and 

 greenish yellow; the 4 stamens are 

 exsertcd. The clustered fruits are 

 ovoid or oblong, about 1.5 cm. long, 

 bright red, capped bv the remains of 

 the calyx; the flesh is thin, mealy, 

 and acrid; the stone is elliptic, 

 pointed at each end, 2-grooved, containing 2 oblong seeds, or often only i seed. 

 The wood is hard, tough and strong, close-grained, shining, red-brown; its 

 specific gravity is about 0.81. It is a favorite wood with turners in the manufacture 

 of parts of machinery, wagon-wheel hubs, tool-handles, and has been tried for 

 wood engravers' blocks. The bark has been used as a remedy for fevers. As an 

 ornamental tree it is unsurpassed in its fine form, profusion of showy bloom in 

 spring, and its abundance of scarlet fruits, and autumnal coloration in late fall; 

 forms with light red bracts, and others with pendulous branches, are often seen 

 in parks and private grounds. The fruit is much eaten by birds. 



2. WESTERN DOGWOOD Cynoxylon Nuttallii (Audubon) Shafer 



Cornus N utUillii Audubon 



A magnificent tree, and perhaps even more beautiful than its eastern relative, 

 having larger and often more numerous bracts, and fruiting more profusely. It 

 inhabits evergreen forests from British Columbia southward to the mountains of 

 southern California, reaching its greatest development, about 30 meters tall, with 

 a trunk diameter of 6 dm., in the northern part of its range. 



The bark is 6 to 8 mm. thick, fissured into small persistent red-brown scales; 

 the twigs are light green and hairy, soon becoming smooth or nearly so, dark pur- 

 ple to red-browTi and marked by prominent leaf scars. The winter buds of the 

 leaves are about i cm. long, and similar to those of the preceding species; the 



