CHAP. XXII. ^CERA'CE^. A CER. 405 



they are gathered by hand, or by shaking the tree, when the keys begin to turn 

 brown. The maturity of the seed may be proved by opening the key, and ob- 

 serving it" the cotyledons are green, succulent, and fresh ; if the green colour 

 of the cotyledons is wanting, the seeds are good for nothing. The seeds of 

 all the species may either be sown in autumn, after they are gathered, or in 

 spring : and the latter method is preferable where moles abound, as they are 

 very fond of the seeds. Sown in spring, they come up in five or six weeks af- 

 terwards, with the exception of those of the A. campestre, which never come 

 up till the sjcond or third year. The seeds should not be covered with more 

 than from a quarter to half an inch of soil. The surface of the ground in 

 which they are sown may be advantageously shaded with leaves, fronds of 

 firs, heath, or straw. 



The genera which compose this order are three, JV'er, Negundo, and Dobinea; 

 and the species in cultivation in Britain are of the two former genera, which 

 are thus contradistinguished in Don's Mi//., i. p. G4-7. 

 JY'ER L. Flowers polygamous. Calyx 5-lobed. Stamens 7 — 9, rarely 5. 



Leaves simple, usually lobed. 

 NEGC'yDO Manich. Flowers dioecious. Calyx unequally 4 — 5-toothcd. 



Anthers 4 — 5, linear, sessile. Leaves pinnate. 



Genus I. 



j4'CER L. The Maple. Lin. Si/st. Polygamia Monoe'cia. 



Identification. Lin. Gen., No. U15. ; Moench. Meth., 334. ; Dec. Prod,, 1. p. 593. ; Don's Mill., 1. 



p. 618. 

 Sytionymes. E'rable, P;-. ; Ahorn, Ger. ; Ac.ero, Tlal.; and Arce, Spanish. 

 Derivation. From ace)-, hard or sliarp, derived from ac, Celtic, a point. The name is supposed to be 



applied to this genu? because the wood of some species is extremely hard, and was formerly much 



sought after for the purpose of making pikes and lances. 



Gen. Char., Sfc. Sexes hermaphrodite, or monceciously polygamous. Flowers 

 with a calyx and corolla. Calyx divided into 5 parts, or some number be- 

 tween 4 and 9. Petals the same in number. Stamens 8, or some number 

 between 5 and 12. Anthers 2-lobed. Carpels 2, very rarely 3, each a 

 samara; that is, a fruit which is called, in England, vernacularly, a key. — 

 Leaves lobed and toothed, or, rarely, neither lobed nor toothed. Flowers 

 generally yellow, with more or less of green blended v/ith the yellow; red 

 in A. rubrum : not individually conspicuous, but interesting in the kinds 

 that flower at leafing time, from their number, from the rarity of flowers 

 generally at that season, and from the enlivening effect of the numerous 

 bees, and other insects, that attend them. The tips of the wings of the 

 samarjE of several of the species arc of a light red, in England, at the end 

 of summer, and in autumn. The species are middle-sized, or low decidu- 

 ous trees, natives of Europe, North America, and, some, of the Himalayas. 

 They are, in general, quite hardy in Britain, and most of them ripen seeds 

 in this country, by which they are readily pro|)agated. They are among the 

 most ornamental trees of artificial plantations, on account of the great 

 beauty and variety of their foliage, which changes to a fine scarlet, or rich 

 yellow, in autumn. The larger-growing species are often many years be- 

 fore they come into flower, and, after they do so, they sometimes flower 

 several years before they mature seeds ; probably from having the flowers 

 of only one sex. Li general it may be observed that there is great uncer- 

 tainty, in the different species of ^'cer, with regard to sex. 



A. Leaves simple. 

 ± \. A. oblo'ngum IVa/l. The oblong-/£>r«>«/ Maple. 



IJfntification. Wall, in Litt. ; Dec. Prod., 1. p. .593; Don's Mill. 1. p. 648. 

 Synony^ncs. A. /aurifblium ]). Don, Prod. Ft. Nep., p, i249. ; A. Buximp ala HamilL 

 £ngraving. Our^fig. 113. in p. 433. 



f F 4 



