dogwood
dogwood
Dogwood
shrubs and trees of several species. Swida sanguinea is usually called dogwood; it is widespread in western and central regions of the European USSR and in middle and southern Europe; more rarely, S. australis, which grows in the Crimea, the Caucasus, and Asia Minor, is called dogwood. They are shrubs or low trees of the family Cornaceae, having purple shoots, white flowers and corymbiform inflorescences without spathes, and opposite, simple leaves, pale-green underneath. The fruits are juicy and spherical, blue-black or black. Both species are widely grown as ornamentals. Sometimes the wild service tree is called dogwood.
Dogwood
(Cornus), a genus of trees and shrubs of the family Cornaceae. The leaves are simple, entire, and opposite. The small bisexual flowers are gathered in umbellate clusters. The fruits are fleshy red drupes on stalks. Four species are found in central and southern Europe, Asia Minor, central China, Japan, and North America (California). The Soviet Union has one species, the cornelian cherry (Cornus mas). It grows in the underbrush and thickets at the edges of leafy forests in the southwestern European USSR, the Crimea, and the Caucasus. Its fruits are eaten fresh and used in preserves and compotes. The hard heavy wood is used in the manufacture of various items. Dogwood trees contain tannins, and are nectar-bearing.