DOGWOOD FAMILY 
Calyx.—Slightly urn-shaped, four-lobed, light green, coherent with 
the ovary. 
Corolla.—Petals four, valvate in bud, inserted on an epigynous 
disk, rounded or acute at apex, slightly thickened at the margins, 
green, tipped with yellow. Disk orange colored. 
Stamens.—F our, inserted on the disk, exserted, alternate with the 
petals. Filaments thread-like ; anthers oblong, introrse, versatile, 
two-celled ; cells opening longitudinally. 
Ovary.—Inferior, two-celled ; style columnar; stigma truncate; 
ovule one in each cell. 
Fruit.—Ovoid drupe, borne in clusters of three or four, crowned 
with the calyx lobes and remnant of the style, bright scarlet, half an 
inch long, smooth, shining, bitter, aromatic. October. Cotyledons 
foliaceous. 
No other tree of our flora enables the observer so easily 
to study the life history of its flowers and fruit as does the 
Dogwood. A shrub oftener than a tree, its branches are 
within easy reach and it conducts its operations so openly 
that they invite attention. When in early spring, the great 
white blossoms appearing before the leaves transform the 
tree into one huge bouquet, it is the glory of the fields and 
challenges the attention and admiration of every observer. 
In sumnier, its low branching habit and dense foliage give it 
a peculiar and attractive appearance ; the clusters of shining 
red berries together with the dark red leaves mark it in the 
autumnal woods, and in the winter, the curious, gray, box-like, 
flower-buds which tip its branches are unique and striking. 
In order to understand the development of those great white 
spring blossoms, it is necessary to study the tree in midsum- 
mer of the preceding year. By July a little group of three 
tiny buds has begun to form at the end of the many branch- 
lets of a healthy, vigorous tree. If the terminal bud is to 
produce flowers it soon outstrips its companions and pro- 
trudes beyond them. This growth continues through the 
late summer and on into autumn. By the time that the clus- 
tered drupes are ripe and the leaves begin to turn scarlet, 
these terminal flower-buds of the next year are about the 
size of small peas, inclosed by four involucral scales, pointed 
above, rounded below, light brownish gray in color, more or 
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