412 FOREST TREES OF THE PACIFIC SLOPE. 



season, somewhat angled, reddish brown, usually spine-tipped ; often growing 

 horizontally from the branches. Mature leaves (fig. 196) usually without mar- 

 ginal teeth, thickish, somewhat leathery, smooth, and partly evergreen ; leaf- 

 stems either slightly and minutely hairy or quite smooth. Leaves on young, vig- 

 orous twigs are often toothed, with the 3-veined character at the base more 

 prominent than in the other entire-margined leaves. Fragrant, pale to deep 

 blue flowers are borne in long (5 to 6 inches), wide bunches, the small clusters 

 of blossoms densely crowded. Mature fruit (fig. 196) smooth and black. 

 Wood of the arborescent form has not been examined. Not likely to be of any 

 economic use on account of the rarely large size of trees. 



Longevity. — Not fully determined. Record of one stem 3£ inches in diameter 

 showed it to be 20 years old. 



BANGE. 



California. Canyons near the coast of Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles 

 counties. 



OCCURRENCE. 



Low mountain canyons ; in gravelly and rocky soils. Forms patches and groups mainly 

 under and interspersed with California live oak and walnut, white alder, pale elder, 

 California sycamore, and laurel. 



Climatic Conditions. — Similar to those of California sycamore. 



Tolerance. — Not fully determined, but species endures a good deal of shade. 



Reproduction. — Abundant seeder and young plants frequent. 



Family CORNACE^. 



Cornacese is commonly known as the cornel family, members of which are 

 widely distributed throughout the world, but most abundantly in temperate 

 regions. It contains shrubs and trees, some of the latter large and valuable 

 for their timber. The family is represented in the United States by two groups, 

 Cornus, the cornels and so-called dogwoods, and by Xyssa, the pepperidge or 

 tupelo gum trees. Only Cornus is represented in the Pacific region, while mem- 

 bers of Nyssa belong wholly to the Atlantic region. They have simple single- 

 bladed leaves which are borne in pairs (one opposite another), or singly, and 

 are shed every autumn. Their small, inconspicuous flowers are either perfectly 

 bisexual or of separate sexes, each kind borne on different trees (only the 

 female trees producing seed). Some of the fruits resemble small berries, others 

 cherries, and contain a one or two seeded stone. 



CORNTJS. DOGWOODS AND CORNELS. 



The dogwoods and cornels are a group of shrubs and small, rather unimportant 

 hardwooded trees, with more representatives in North America than in any 

 other country- The most popular and widely known members of the group 

 are the English cornel tree {Cornus mas L.) so much cultivated for its acid, 

 cherry-like fruit, and the so-called flowering dogwood of our eastern woodlands, 

 prized and planted for its showy, white-scaled flowers. 



The bark of cornels is bitter and tonic. Cornel wood is very suitable and 

 useful for small turnery requiring hardness, strength, and wearing qualities ; 

 special care in seasoning (slow drying) is needed to prevent checking. The 

 pointed leaves occur mostly in pairs, rarely one at a point, while twigs and 

 branches are given off in pairs at every joint (except in one eastern species). 

 The leaves have prominent, deeply impressed, straight veins, and characteristic 

 wavy margins, and are always clustered at or near the ends of the twigs. 

 Flowers, perfectly bisexual, very small, greenish, closely crowded, and stemless, 



