26 



YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES 



The leaves are borne opposite up- 

 on the branches. They are from three 

 to five inches long with the midvein 

 and its branches conspicuously im- 

 pressed upon the upper side. Numer- 

 ous small, greenish-white flowers are 

 borne in button-like clusters which 

 are about one and one-half inches in 

 diameter. These are surrounded by 

 four to six showy, cream-white scales 

 or bracts, often improperly regarded 

 as "petals" — the entire flower cluster 

 being thus considered as one flower. 

 However, this is not the case. As 

 stated, the flowers — possessing only 

 stamens and pistils — are clustered in 

 the center 'button." The showy scales 

 which surround the flower cluster are, 

 like the flower cluster, partially form- 

 ed during the previous summer. 

 They remain in this state until the 



Phulo by Broikman 



Foliage and fruit of dogwood 

 (Inch squares on background) 



Vboto by AnitTion 



Pacific dogwood in early spring 



following spring when they develop 

 fully along with the flowers. 



These showy, cream-white scales 

 soon wither and drop from the tree 

 and by midsummer the formation of 

 the seeds, which vary from twenty- 

 five to forty per cluster, is well ad- 

 vanced. Although green at first, they 

 change to a brilliant red by fall — 

 usually in October. 



The natural range of this attractive 

 tree includes a considerable area of 

 the Pacific west — from Vancouver 

 Island and the Eraser River valley in 

 British Columbia south through west- 

 ern Washington and Oregon to the 

 San Bernardino Mountains of south- 

 ern California — as well as along the 

 west slope of the Sierra Nevada be- 

 tween 4,000 and 5,000 feet above sea 

 level. 



