COMMUNICATIOlSrS. 



207 



near rocks, &c. It makes rather an ornamental appearance, the 

 numerous racems of flowers standing erect above the leaves, are 

 soon followed by the bright red fruit. I am not aware of any- 

 useful purpose to v,-hich it has been applied. The Mountain 



Maple is found in the forests 

 throughout this State ; but as it 

 has not been detected in Illinois, 

 we are probably on its southern 

 geographical limits. It extends 

 eastward to Maine, but its west- 

 ern limits are not known. The 

 leaves assume a yellowish red 

 color in autumn, adding much 

 to the beauty and interest of the 

 species for ornamental purposes. 

 The young twigs are bright 

 green; the bark of the trunk, 

 bright gray. The flowers appear 

 in May, and the seed with slight- 

 8TEIPED MAPLE- ^ Ij diverging wings resemble 



those of the sugar maple in form, but are much smaller, more 

 delicate, and of a very different color. The figure of the leaf is 

 half the natural size ; of the fruit, the full size. 



4. Acer /Saccharinum, of Wangenheim. — Sugar Maple. 



This well known and highly valuable tree forms dense groves 

 in many places, but more especially in the eastern and northern 

 parts of the State. Some of these groves, called " maple open- 

 ings," are among the most beautiful and interesting of our forest 

 scenery. These groves often occupy the sites of deserted Indian 

 villages, being the first to take possession of the abandoned 

 grounds. The wood is in great demand for various useful and 

 ornamental purposes ; and thousands of the trees are annually 

 "tapped" to draw sap for the manufacture of "maple sugar." 

 Over six hundred thousand pounds of this sugar are annually 

 made in Wisconsin. 



