542 CORNACEAE. [VOL. II. 



i. Erigenia bulbosa (Michx.) Nutt. 

 Harbinger of Spring. (Fig. 2709.) 



Sison bulbosum Michx. Fl. Bor. Am. i: 169. 1803. 

 Erigenia bulbosa Nutt. Gen. i: 188. 1818. 



Stem scapose, 3'-$' high, bearing a leaf in- 

 volucrate to the umbel. Basal leaves 2-4, 

 petioled, ternately divided into thin oblong 

 obtuse segments, the involucral one similar, 

 smaller, short-petioled; petioles much dilated 

 and sheathing at the base; umbels mostly com- 

 pound, of 1-4 slender rays; involucels spatu- 

 late or sometimes foliaceous; pedicels very 

 short in flower, i"-2#" long in fruit; fruit 

 about i" long and i#" broad. 



Ontario to western Pennsylvania, the District of 

 Columbia and Alabama, west to Minnesota, Kan 

 sas and Missouri. Feb. -April. 



Family 92. CORNACEAE Link. Handb. 2: 2. 1831. 



Doc- WOOD FAMILY. 



Shrubs or trees, with simple opposite, verticillate or alternate, usually entire 

 leaves, and regular perfect polygamous or dioecious flowers in cymes, heads or 

 rarely solitary. Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary, its limb 4~5-dentate, or none. 

 Petals generally 4 or 5, sometimes wanting, valvate or imbricate, spreading, in- 

 serted at the base of the epigynous disc. Stamens as many as the petals or more 

 numerous, inserted with them; filaments subulate or flat. Ovary inferior, 

 i-2-celled in our species; style r, short or elongated; ovules i in each cavity, 

 pendulous, anatropous. Fruit a drupe, the stone i-2-celled, i-2-seeded. Seeds 

 oblong; embryo nearly as long as the endosperm; cotyledons foliaceous. 



About 16 genera and 85 species, most abundant in the northern hemisphere. 



Flowers perfect, 4-parted; ovary 2-celled. i. Cornus. 



Flowers polygamous or dioecious; petals minute or none; ovary i -celled. a. Nyssa. 



i. CORNUS L. Sp. PI. 117. 1753. 



Shrubs or trees, with simple mostly entire opposite verticillate or rarely alternate leaves, 

 and small white greenish or purple flowers, in cymes, or heads, the latter involucrate with 

 large white bracts in our species. Calyx-tube top-shaped or campanulate, its limb minutely 

 4-toothed. Petals 4, valvate. Stamens 4. Ovary 2-celled; stigma truncate or capitate; ovules 

 i in each cavity. Drupe ovoid or globular, the stone 2-celled and 2-sceded. [Greek, horn, 

 from the toughness of the wood.] 



About 25 species, natives of the north temperate zone, Mexico and Peru. Besides the follow- 

 ing, 7 others occur in western North America. 



X- Flowers capitate, with an involucre of 4-6 large white bracts. 

 Low herbaceous shrubs; rootstocks slender. 



Upper leaves verticillate; Sowers greenish. 

 Leaves all opposite; flowers purple. 

 Tree or large shrub; flowers greenish. 



Leaves opposite. ** M* cymo.e, not involucrate. 



1. C. Canadensis. 



2. C. Suecica. 



3. C. florida. 



Leaves downy-pubescent beneath, at least when young; (sometimes glabrate in No. 5). 



Leaves broadly ovate or orbicular; fruit blue. 

 Leaves ovate or ovate-lanceolate. 



Fruit blue; stone pointed at the base. 



Fruit white; stone globose, more or less broader than high. 



Fruit white; stone compressed, much broader than high. 

 Leaves glabrate, or minutely pubescent beneath. 

 Leaves ovate, short-pointed; twigs purple. 

 Leaves ovate-lanceolate, acuminate. 



Fruit white ; twigs grey. 



Fruit pale blue; twigs reddish. 

 Leaves alternate, clustered at the ends of the flowering branches. 



4. C. circinata. 



5. C. Antonum. 



6. C. asperifolia. 



7. C. Baileyi. 



8. C, stolonifera. 



9. C, candidissima. 



10. C. slricla. 



11. C. alternifolia. 



