VI. 



THE CORNUSES, TUPELO AND WITCH HAZEL. 



Among those who enjoy gathei-ing wild flowers, but 

 who are not familiar with their characteristics, a natural 

 fear exists of handling plants which may be poisonous. 

 The misuse of the name dogwood, by applying it to the 

 poisonous sumach, has increased the fear in this neigh- 

 borhood where the wroug name is used almost to the 

 exclusion of the correct one. The name dogwood be- 

 longs to the cornuses, a genus, which, as previously 

 stated, includes the pretty bunchberry, several shrubby 

 species, and the tree known to most persons by its 

 botanical name, Cornus florida. A fine specimen of this 

 last named tree stood in the yard of Mr. James B. 

 Curwen, on Essex street, but it unfortunately died 

 some time ago. There are smaller specimens in several 

 gardens in the city, and the tree grows naturally in the 

 woods at Crooked pond, Boxford, and oti some of the 

 islands in Wenham swamp, where the large white bud- 

 scales surrounding a bunch of small true flowers are 

 conspicuous in the latter part of May. 



The only other cornus which is tree-like in appear- 

 ance is the Cornus alternifolia (it has no common 

 name), which is abundant along most country roadsides 

 — the nearest, perhaps, being on Essex street, Beverly, 

 not far from the Montserat station. All of the dog- 

 woods have showy flowers, and are perfectly harmless 

 to handle. 



