DOGWOOD FAMILY 
less covered with pale hairs and borne on stout club-shaped 
peduncles a quarter of an inch or less in length. ‘These buds 
stand up from the tips of the branchlets and are very con- 
spicuous. After the leaves fall, aud the red berries have 
been taken by the birds these gray buds remain unchanged, 
stiff and unyielding throughout the winter. 
One of the first indications of returning activity to plant 
life is the gaping of these involucral scales at the apex of the 
flower-bud. This happens about the time that the elm-buds 
are beginning to swell and open, but the elm-flowers have 
come and gone and the samaras are well grown before our 
dogwood blossom is worthy of the name. But day after day 
the change goes on, The involucral scales begin to enlarge, 
unfold, grow white and at length about six weeks after the 
first opening of the apex they become a flat corolla-like cup, 
three or four inches across. Each scale is now a great white 
petal-like leaf, so like a petal that many consider it such ; its 
rounded apex blotched and darkened by the discolored rem- 
nants of the portion formed during the summer before. In 
color these are usually white, sometimes, however, they are 
pink and rarely bright red. 
Within these four, white, petaloid scales is a close cluster 
of tiny flowers which are the real blossoms of the tree. They 
are yellowish green, made on a plan of four, four 
lobes to the calyx, four petals to the corolla, and 
four stamens ; there is, however, but one pistil. 
After our great white involucre has performed 
its duty, fostered and protected the tiny flowers 
until they have reached maturity, it falls, the 
Singie Flower 5 Eee : 
of Dogwood, blossoms fade and the tiny fruit begins to grow. 
Comms fort Although there are from ten to thirty blossoms 
dey enlarge. iy each cluster rarely more than five drupes are 
matured in any one. Some remain in a state of arrested 
devclopment, and cling to the branch small and green all 
summer long. The bright, shining, scarlet fruit is beautiful 
to look at and is finally eaten by the birds, but they exhaust 
other resources first, for under that shining skin is a very 
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