| the plant family Cornaceae, characterized by trees and shrubs having simple opposite leaves, small flowers often surrounded by showy, petallike bracts, and berrylike fruit, including the bunchberry, cornelian cherry, and dogwood. |
| dogwood family | |
noun | |
| a rosid dicot family of the order Umbellales including: genera Aucuba, Cornus, Corokia, Curtisia, Griselinia, Helwingia [syn: Cornaceae] |