176 KEY AND FLORA 



I. CORNUS L. 



Trees, shrubs, or herbs. Leaves usually opposite. Flowers 

 in forking cymes, or in umbels or heads, each with an invo- 

 lucre, white or yellow. Calyx teeth 4. Petals 4. Stamens 4. 

 Ovary 2-celled. Drupe ovoidal or ellipsoidal, the stone 

 2-celled. 



1. C- canadensis L. DWARF CORXEL, BUXCHBERRY, PUDDIXG 

 BERRY. Stem herbaceous, excepting at the base, low (3-9 in.), and 

 unbranched. llootstock rather woody, slender, and creeping. Leaves 

 in what appears to be a whorl of 4 or 6 at the summit of the stem, 

 sessile, ovate, oval or nearly so, acute at each end, entire, smooth or 

 very slightly downy. Flower stalk slender, 4-1 \ in. long, with a 

 whorl of 4-6 large, white, petal-like bracts, forming an involucre 

 round the small head of greenish flowers; the head with its invo- 

 lucre appearing to others than botanists like a single flower. Fruit 

 nearly spherical, scarlet, about ^ in. in diameter, in a close cluster, 

 sweet and eatable, though rather insipid. Damp woods, especially N. 



2. C. florida L. FLOWERING DOGWOOD. Small trees; bark rough, 

 black. Leaves opposite, petioled, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, entire, 

 green and shining above, paler and often downy beneath. Flowers 

 small, greenish, in heads which are subtended by 4 large, white or 

 pink, inversely heart-shaped bracts, thickened and greenish at the 

 notch. Fruit ovoid, bright red. In rich woods S. and E.* 



3. C. circinata L'Her. ROUND-LEAVED DOGWOOD. A shrub 3-10 

 ft. high, with green, warty twigs. Leaves petioled, roundish-oval, 

 contracted to an abrupt point, entire, usually rounded or truncate 

 at the base, pale and soft-downy beneath. Flowers in flat cymes, 

 1^-2 1 in. in diameter. Fruit globose, light blue, \ in. or less in 

 diameter. Thickets often in rocky soil N. and along Allegheny 

 Mountains. 



4. C. Amomum Mill. KINNIKINXIK. A shrub 6-10 ft. high; twigs 

 purple, downy when young. Leaves opposite, petioled, ovate or ob- 

 long, taper-pointed, smooth above, silky-downy below. Flowers white, 

 in rather close cymes. Fruit blue, stone somewhat oblique. In low 

 woods.* 



5. C. asperifolia Michx. ROUGH-LEAVED DOGWOOD. A shrub 

 8-12 ft. high ; twigs slender, reddish-brown, often warty, densely 

 downy when young. Leaves opposite, short-petioled, lance-ovate or 

 oblong, acute or taper-pointed, with rough down above, downy-woolly 

 below. Cymes flat, spreading, the peduncle and branches covered 

 with rough down. Flowers white. Fruit white or pale blue, stone 

 depressed-globose. In dry woods.* 



