FLOWERING DOGWOOD, ETC. 181 



red berries are ripe in early autumn, when with the 

 changing fohage they produce a very decorative 

 effect on the tree. The flowering dogwood grows 

 from 15 to 40 feet high, and is common in dry 

 woods from southern I^ew England to Florida, 

 Texas, and southern Missouri. There are several 

 beautiful though not large specimens in the Arnold 

 Arboretum, where, with many other foreign species, 

 they combine in making the roadsides gorgeous in 

 October. 



Alternate-leaved The very nanie of the alternate- 

 Dogwood, leaved dogwood seems to imply that 



Cornus aUernifolia. ^^ ^g ^^^ ^f ^-^^^ ^^^q j^ ^^ lea^f 



classification. But this particular species is an ex- 

 ception to the rule, and ought not to be separated 

 from its relatives, as its general appearance also 

 rather inclines one to think it opposite-leaved — look 

 at my sketch ! The leaves really seem opposite, but 

 they are not ; one stem grows independently just 

 helow the other, and not conjointly with it.* For 

 the reverse of this arrangement look at the red maple, 

 which very likely will be found growing beside the 

 dogwood, convenient for comparison. The alternate- 

 leaved dogwood has very beautiful, slender, coral-like 



* It occasionally happens, though, that the leaves do grow 

 opposite. 



13 



