ACER. 47 



ACER ; pronounce Alter 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. glabrum 

 with A. circinatum Pursh : the A. coccineum 

 Mg. is only a variety of A. rubrum; many Sp. 

 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 nigrcc, Idrioden- 

 dron tulipifera &/c. but in some rteutral 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 &c. for 

 the species j but I may present a better view of 

 them divided into si* sub Genera. 



I. EVOTRIUM Raf. Polygamous. Calix 5 fid, 

 petals 5, stamens 8, fruits smooth flowers in 

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

 tum. 



II. SACHARODENDRON Raf. Polygamous. Cal. 

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

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

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

 A. circinatum Pursh glabrum 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. rubrum, and the 

 Var. Coccineum Mg. 



IV.ERiocARPUMRaf. Polygamous. Cal. mem- 



