Cornaceae - Dogwood family

Trees or shrubs. Leaves opposite, simple; margin entire or serrate. Stipules 0. Flowers bisexual (Curtisia) or unisexual (Afrocrania), actinomorphic, arranged in panicles (Curtisia) or in dense terminal clusters surrounded by 4 herbaceous bracts (Afrocrania); pedicels not articulated. Petals 4-5. Stamens equal in number and alternating with them. Ovary inferior, 2- or 4-locular. Fruit a drupe.

Worldwide: 14 genera and 120 species, mainly northern temperate areas, rare in tropics and southern temperate.