Dogwood

Dogwood, common name for a family of flowering plants distributed mainly in the temperate areas of the northern hemisphere, with a few species occurring in tropical South America and Africa. Of the 14 genera in the family, only the dogwood genus is native to North America. Members of the family are mostly trees or shrubs with simple, opposite leaves. Well-known exceptions, however, are the bunch berry, a perennial herb; and the pagoda dogwood, which has alternate leaves. Dogwood flowers are small and are produced in branched terminal clusters that are sometimes surrounded by showy white bracts. Thus, the so-called petals of the familiar flowering dogwood are actually bracts.

The main economic importance of dogwoods stem from their valuable ornamental species, grown for their attractive flowers, flower bracts, fruits, twigs and stems, and colorful autumn leaves. In addition to the species already mentioned, most of which are commercially grown, others commonly found in cultivation include the Cornelian cherry, the red-osier dogwood, the Japanese dogwood, and certain sour gums. The fruit of the Cornelian cherry, a native of Europe, is used in France to make an alcoholic beverage, vin de courneille, and is also used in preserves. Oil extracted from the fruit of the blood-twig dogwood is used in France for making soap. The wood of several species is used in furniture.

The order to which the dogwoods belong contains 4 families and about 150 species, about 100 of which are in the same family as dogwoods. The sour gum family contains three genera. The two other families both contain one genus. Members of the order vary greatly in flower structure, making the order difficult to characterize. The flowers are usually small, however, with the four or five sepals commonly reduced in size and forming a tube that is fused to the ovary (female flower part). A nectar-producing disk is usually present on the upper part of the ovary. Four or five petals are commonly found; they are not fused to one another. Occasionally, however, the petals are absent.

Scientific classification: Dogwoods make up the family Cornaceae, in the order Cornales. The bunch berry is classified as Cornus canadensis, the pagoda dogwood as Cornus alternifolia, the flowering dogwood as Cornus florida, the Pacific dogwood as Cornus nuttalli, the Cornelian cherry as Cornus mas, the red-osier dogwood as Cornus stolonifera, the Japanese dogwood as Cornus kousa, and the blood-twig dogwood as Cornus sanguinea. The sour gums commonly found in cultivation are classified in the genus Nyssa, in the family Nyssaceae. The two other families in the order Cornales are Alangiaceae and Garryaceae.

Pictures of Angiosperms

Pictures of Angiosperms
English Elm
The English elm, one of a number of elm species found throughout the North Temperate Zone, is native to Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. It grows to a height of 30 m (100 ft). The English elm is used for its timber and its bark, from which certain dyes can be made. In the United States, the English elm and most other elms have fallen victim to the Dutch elm disease, which was accidentally introduced from Europe and for which no cure has been found.



Flame Tree
The flame tree is named for its brilliant scarlet blossoms that cover long, spreading branches. It is a native of the island of Madagascar, where its dangling seed pods are often gathered and used as fuel. It is now cultivated as an ornamental in tropical and subtropical areas around the world.



Flower Garden Maintenance
A healthy flower garden requires maintenance. By regularly removing spent or fading flowers, a practice called deadheading, gardeners prolong the blooming season in their gardens. Another maintenance procedure, called pinching off, encourages healthy, bushy plant growth. Pinching off methods vary depending on the type of plant, but generally gardeners remove the tallest early stalks, encouraging more stem development when plants are young.



Flowering Desert in Australia
The flowering plants, called angiosperms, all produce fruit containing seeds, though not all flowering plants actually produce flowers. Flowering plants have adapted to every terrestrial environment on Earth except glaciers and snow fields.



Flowering Dogwood
The white leaves that look like petals on this flowering dogwood are actually bracts that protect the small green buds of the true dogwood flower. Most species of dogwood are trees or shrubs with simple leaves, but a few species, such as the flowering dogwood, are popular for their ornamental value. Many songbirds and small mammals eat the fruit of the dogwood, and the wood of several species of dogwood is used in making furniture.




Flowering Forsythia
Forsythia is a spring-flowering, deciduous shrub, cultivated for its attractive yellow, bell-shaped flowers, which bloom in the spring before the emergence of the leaves. Reaching a height of 1 to 3 m (3 to 10 ft), the forsythia grows best in sunny locations in fertile, well-drained soils.





Flowering Gardenia
Gardenia is both the common and scientific name for a genus of evergreen trees and shrubs grown for their attractive, fragrant flowers. Native to tropical and subtropical countries, the plants thrive in greenhouses, with only a few species hardy enough to survive outdoors where summers reach sufficiently warm temperatures.





Flowering Jasmine
The jasmine is one of a number of deciduous and evergreen shrubs and woody-stemmed climbing plants grown throughout tropical regions. It is cultivated for its attractive, fragrant flowers. Jasmine grows best in sunny locations with fertile, well-drained soils.






Forget-Me-Not
Forget-me-not plants grow in temperate regions around the world, adapting to moist conditions to grow in drainage ditches and damp meadows. The varieties of the plant bloom in blue, with the exact shade of the flower depending on the species. Forget-me-nots are widely cultivated for gardens and in landscaping pools and streams.







Foxglove Plant
The common foxglove is grown for decorative and medicinal purposes. The flowers contain glycosides (chemicals that affect heartbeat and pulse), which can be extracted from the leaves and used to regulate and strengthen a person’s heartbeat. However, if plant materials containing glycosides are directly consumed by humans, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and heartbeat and pulse abnormalities can result. If consumed in large enough quantities, glycosides can cause convulsions and death.




Freesia
Although native to southern South Africa, the freesia is widely cultivated for its funnel-shaped flowers, which are sold as ornamentals and as fresh cut flowers. Freesias prefer sunny locations in fertile, well-drained soils.








Fuchsia Flowers
The tropical and subtropical plants known as fuchsias grow wild in Central and South America but are also cultivated in greenhouses and as houseplants in the United States. Florists and other cultivators tend to concentrate on the more ornamental hybrids of the wild species, such as the Fuchsia hybridia pictured here. The fuchsia's flowers have earned the name “lady’s eardrops” for their unusual shape.

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