0245 



DOGWOOD. 



Family: CAPRIFOLIACEAE. [Translator's note: the genus Cornus now is assigned 

 to the Cornaceae family.] 



Reproductive system: TETRANDRY, MONOGYNY. 



The cornelian cheny tree, Cornus mascula, Linn., [Translator's note: now Cornus 

 mas] is a tree that rises fifteen or twenty feet on a straight trunk. The leaves, on short 

 petioles, are opposite, oval, entire, and supplied with parallel veins. The flowers bloom 

 before the leaves come out; they form a sort of yellow umbel that emerges from buds on 

 the trunk and on the branches. The calyx has four points, the corolla four petals. Four 

 stamens alternate with the petals. The fruit is a red or yellow ovoid drupe; it contains a pit 

 with two compartments and two seeds. 



FLOWERS: in February. 



RANGE: France and a part of Europe. 



NOMENCLATURE. Cornus from cornu, a horn, because the hardness of its wood 

 was highly reputed among the ancients for making darts, pikes, etc. 



Conjecto sternit jaculo, volat itala cornus. VlRG. 



[Translator's note: ...hurling the javelin, he struck him down - the Italian cornel flew through the 

 air... 



(Aeneid, IX, 698).] 



Colloquial French, le cornier, Vacornier. German, der kornelbaum, korle. English, the 

 cornelian cherry. Italian, // corniolo. Russian, der. Polish, deren. Persian, sochal. 



USES. Cornelian cherry wood is widely used in the manufacture of handles for 

 tools and of cogs and spokes for wheels. The fruit is eaten raw or preserved in salt or 

 sugar; it's a healthy and enjoyable food. According to Theophrastus, the ancients had 

 noticed that the fruit of wild cornelian cherry trees tasted better than that of the cultivated 

 ones. 



The European red dogwood, Cornus sanguinea, Linn., is a tree that grows about 

 fifteen or twenty feet high. The bark on its branches is red and smooth, which gave it the 

 name blood-colored. The leaves, on short petioles, are opposite, entire, oval, pointed, 



