56 ILLINOIS NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY CIRCULAR 51 



spreading head of horizontal, tiered branches. The opposite, oval, 

 minutely hairy, tirm leaves (Fig. 55 inset) are bright green 

 above and pale green beneath. They are 3-6 inches long and 1-2 

 inches wide. The fragrant, nectar-producing, small, greenish- 

 white or yellow, perfect flowers open before the leaves appear. 

 They develop in dense, flat-topped heads which are surrounded 

 by four white or occasionally pinkish, flower-like cups. The en- 

 tire structure is 3-4 inches across and appears as a single flower. 

 The oval, bright red fruit, about V^ inch long and 1/4 inch wide, 

 contains one or two pale brown seeds. The thin, reddish bark is 

 broken by deep fissures into small, square blocks, giving an effect 

 similar to that of afligator hide. 



The alternate-leaved dogwood differs from most dogwoods 

 because of its alternate leaves. The leaves are similar in size but 

 more slender than the leaves of flowering dogwood. The small, 

 creamy-white flowers appear in May and June as loose, branched 

 heads on the tips of lateral branches. The dark blue, globular 

 fruits ripen in October. They are nearly V^ inch in diameter and 

 are produced in loose, spreading, reddish-stemmed clusters. The 

 reddish-brown bark is smooth, or shallowly fissured, and rigid. 



The cornelian cherry, one of the earliest flowering trees, has 

 its branches wreathed with %-inch-long clusters of tiny yellow 

 flowers which appear before the leaves. The opposite, egg-shaped, 

 sharp-tipped leaves, li/o-^ inches long, are lustrous above with 

 short, downy hair beneath. The oblong, scarlet, ^-inch-long, 

 edible fruit, which ripens in August, is hidden by the leaves. The 

 dark brown bark becomes rough with age. The flaking of small 

 patches exposes a gray undersurface. 



Flowering dogwood is subject to a destructive fungus dis- 

 ease called crown canker which occurs in the eastern part of the 

 United States but which has not been reported in Illinois. The 

 hard, brown, close-grained wood is used to some extent in in- 

 dustry. 



Elm 



Four native species, American or white elm (Ulmus ameri- 

 cava) , rock or cork elm {U. thomasi), slippery or red elm ([/. 

 fulva), winged or Wahoo elm ([/. alata), and several European 

 and Asiatic species of elm are grown for shade and ornamental 

 purposes in Illinois. They grow rapidly in most types of soil and 

 may reach heights of 70-100 feet. Two small elms with unusual 

 shapes occasionally found in ornamental plantings are Camper- 



