L.. '' ■ " ACER. 47 



ACER ; pronounce Aker not Aser. Of the 

 useful maples, I hardly need give a Monograph, 

 as they are so well known, and the G. Negun- 

 dium is now separated, except by Eaton and 

 such incorrect botanists. Yet some Sp. are not 

 yet well settled, Nuttal unites the A. glahrum 

 with A. circinatum Pursh : the A. coccineutn 

 Mg. is only a variety of A. ruhrum; manySp. 

 are blended as A, sacharinum because they 

 produce sugar. 



A singular blunder has prevailed for this 

 Genus. All trees are feminine in Latin, what- 

 ever be the gender of the generic name : thus 

 we say Quercus alba, Salix nigra, Lirioden- 

 dron tulipifera <fec. but in some neutral names 

 like this we make the species neutral also ! I 

 never could find a botanist or latin scholar to ex- 

 plain the cause or propriety of this contradiction. 



See Michaux, Elliot, Nuttal, Eaton Slc. for 

 the species ; but I may present a better view of 

 them divided into six sub Genera. 



I. EvoTRiuM Raf. Polygamous. Calix 5 fid, 

 petals 5, stamens 8, fruits smooth flowers in 

 racemes, leaves lobed, A, tstriatum, 2. A, spica- 

 turn. 



II. Sacharodendron Raf. Polygamous. Cal. 

 5fid bearded, no petals? Stamens 6 to 10, fruits 

 smooth, flowers fasciculate, leaves lobed. 3. A. 

 sacharinum, 4 A. harhaturn, 5 A, nigrnm, 6 

 A. circinatum, Pursh glahrum, Torey. 



III. Clinotrox (old name) Polygamous. Cal. 

 petaloid smooth 8-12 parted, no petals, stamens 

 4 to 6, with a globular gland at the base of each, 

 fruits smooth, flowers agregate with a scaly in- 

 volucre, leaves lobed. 7. A. ruhrum, and the 

 Var. Coccineum Mg. 



IV.Eriocarpum Rvif. Polygamous. Cal. mem- 



