Dogwood Family

Comaceae, also known as the dogwood family, is a family of flowering trees, shrubs and subshrubs in the order Comales, well known in the northern temperate areas for two genera Cornus, the dogwoods and Nyssa, the tupelos. 

The leaves of Erythroxylon coca, the divine plant of the Incas, contain a local anesthetic and a psychostimulant. Erythroxylaceae is a very small family, represented by two genera, the more important of which is Erythroxylon. They are mostly tropical shrubs with entire leaves and 5-merous flowers, and the fruit is a 1-seeded, reddish drupe resembling that of dogwood. The anatomy of the plants of this family closely resembles that of the Linaceae. Of special interest is the development of papillae on the dorsal surface of the leaves. This is found in most species of Erythroxylon. 

Synonyms Rhamnaceae family Rhamnus frangu-la Alder buckthorn Frangulin Trollidora Coyo-tillo Wild cherry Purging buckthorn Arrow wood Berry alder Black dogwood Cascara Senna, Hart s thorn May thorn Persian berry Rhine berry Common buckthorn... 

Cornus is a genus of the Comaceae plant family, lepiesented by about 30-60 species of woody plants commonly named Dogwoods, widely spread in Europe, Asia and North America. 

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