270. FLOWERING DOGWOOD (_Cornus florida_ L.) shrub or small tree, very
rare; usually in rocky or sandy woods, often with cedar. Leaves: simple,
2 to 5 inches long, 1¼ to 2 wide, opposite, mostly in clusters at the
ends of branches; entire or nearly so, veins prominent beneath. Twigs:
distinguished in winter by the pale “flat turnip-shaped” flower buds;
bright red or yellowish green, slender. Bark: furrowed and breaking into
somewhat rectangular plates; astringent and aromatic, used in medicine.
Branches: usually horizontally spreading and upcurved at tips. Flowers:
greenish yellow, small, in dense heads surrounded by 4 large, white,
notched, petal-like bracts; in March and April. Fruit: dense clusters of
glossy, scarlet, oval berries, about ½ inch long. Wood: heavy, hard,
strong, very close-grained; for turnery, tool handles, forms for
metal-spinners for which last it is sold by the pound.
271. DWARF or ROUGH-LEAF DOGWOOD (_Cornus asperifolia_ Michx.) a large
shrub, or rarely a small tree, common and widespread, preferring
lowlands. Leaves: simple, opposite, nearly entire, rough above, paler
and downy beneath, 2 to 4 inches long, ovate or oblong. Twigs: bright
red in winter, rough or with whitish pubescence. Bark: thin, narrowly
ridged, with close, dark red-brown scales. Flowers: small, white, in
flat-topped clusters, in April or May following black haw flowers which
they resemble. Fruit: small, white, on reddish stems, ripe late summer
and fall. Wood: heavy, hard, strong, fine-grained; adapted for turnery.
[Illustration: 271 dwarf dogwood]