98 SAPiNDACE^E. [ Pometia. 



6. POMETIA, Forst. 



1. P. tomentosa, Bth. and Hook. f. ; Hook. Fl. Ind. i. 691 ; Kurz i. 

 295. Pometia eximia, Beddome 1. 157. Vern. Thabyay, Burm.; J?afifo^, And. 



Under this name was collected by Kurz, iu 1866, in the Andaman 

 Islands, No. B 1973. It has a red heartwood, large, scanty, uniformly 

 distributed pores, prominent on a vertical section ; and closely packed, 

 very fine medullary rays ; the wood is traversed by prominent concentric 

 lines, which may possibly be annual rings. Weight, 48 Ibs. per cubic 

 foot. 



7. ACER, Tournef. 



A large genus of European, Asiatic and American trees, which counts about 14 

 Indian species. The species not here described are A. niveum, Bl. ; Hook. Fl. Ind., 

 i. 693 ; Kurz i. 289, a very large tree of Assam and Burma; A. stachyophyllum, 

 Hiern ; Hook. Fl. Ind. i. 694, a small tree of Independent Sikkim ;A.isolobum, Kurz ; 

 Hook. Fl. Ind. i. 694; Kurz i. 289, an evergreen tree of the Martaban Hills from 

 5,000 to 7,000 feet elevation; and A. pentapomicum, J. L. Stewart; Hook. Fl. Ind. i. 

 694 ; Brandis 111. Vern. TeeJcan, kaklcri, kitla, tian, Tcilpattai, serdn, Pb., a tree of 

 hot dry places in, the inner ranges of the North- West Himalaya from Kashmir to 

 Kumaun. 



The species may thus be distinguished by characters taken almost exclusively from 

 the leaves : 



Leaves undivided 

 Basal nerves 3 



Leaves white beneath 



Cymes pubescent , A. ollongum. 



glabrous A. niveum. 



Leaves green beneath . . . . . . .A. Icevigatum. 



Basal nerves 5 



Leaves glabrous beneath 



Branches green, serratures of leaves none or very 



indistinct A. siklcimense. 



Branches red, leaves finely duplicate-serrate . . A. Hookeri. 

 Leaves pubescent beneath . . . . . .A. stachyophyllum. 



Leaves 3-lobed 



Lobes less than half the length of the leaves . . . A. Thomsoni. 

 Lobes deeper than half the length of the leaves 



Lobes lanceolate, acutely serrulate . . . .A. isolobum. 



Lobes ovate, obtusely serrate , . . . . A. pentapomicum. 



Leaves 5-lobed and nerved 



Leaves pale beneath . . . . . . . .A. caesium. 



Leaves green beneath 



Leaves large, serratures distant, simple . . . A. villosum. 

 Leaves small, serratures close, sharp . . . A. caudatum. 

 Leaves 5- to 7-lobed and usually 7-nerved 



Leaves serrulate A. CampleUii. 



Leaves entire ........ A. pictum. 



The wood of Acer is generally shining and mottled by the medullary 

 rays being prominent on a radial section. It is soft and close-grained. 

 There is no heartwood, and the annual rings are generally well marked. 

 The pores are small and very small, uniformly distributed ; the medullary 

 rays fine and very fine, often of two sizes. Concentric medullary patches 

 are found in most species. The structure of the wood of the different 

 species of Maple, European, Indian and American, is so similar that it 

 is very difficult and perhaps impossible to distinguish the different 

 by the structure of their wood. 



