4. Leaf, × 1/2.
5. Flowering branchlet, × 1/2.
6. Flower, enlarged.
7. Fruit, × 1.
CORNACEAE
Flowering Dogwood. Dogwood. Boxwood
Cornus florida L.
HABIT.—A bushy tree with a height of 15-30 feet and a short trunk 8-12 inches in diameter; slender, spreading branches form a flat-topped crown.
LEAVES.—Opposite, closely clustered at the ends of the branchlets, simple, 3-5 inches long, 2-3 inches broad; ovate to elliptical; obscurely wavy-toothed; thick and firm; bright green, covered with minute, appressed hairs above, pale and more or less pubescent beneath, turning bright scarlet in autumn; petioles short, grooved.