83 



much branched ; bark blackish. Leaves 1-2 in., fascicled at the ends of the 

 shoots, subopposite lower down, shortly petioled, young downy beneath ; 

 stipules subulate, deciduous. Flowers \ in. diam., solitary or fascicled in 

 the axils of the fascicles of leaves on the previous year's wood, yellow-green ; 

 pedicels very short. Calyx of the male campanulate, female cupular, lobes 

 acute. Style 4- rarely 2- or 5-cleft. Drupe in. diam., globose, black ; 

 stones 4, obovoid, grooved at the back. A Ibunwn longitudinally curved and 

 like a horseshoe ; embryo obcordate, similarly curved. DISTRIB. Europe, 

 N. Africa, Siberia ; cult, for hedges in the U. States. 

 2. R. Fran'gula, L. ; unarmed, leaves obovate quite entire, nerves 



parallel, flowers 5-merous bisexual. Berry-bearing Alder. 



Woods and thickets, common in England, Ayr and Moray in Scotland, very 

 rare in Ireland ; fl. May-June. Shrub 5-10 ft. ; branches slender. Leaves 

 alternate ; stipules subulate. Flomrs J in. diam., few, axillary, greenish- 

 white, pedicels ^ in. Calyx campanulate. Style entire. Drupe k in. diam., 

 globose, black when ripe ; stones compressed, broadly obovoid. Seed of 

 the same form. DISTRIB. Europe, N. Africa, Siberia. Drupes cathartic, 

 when unripe used to dye green ; wood used by gunpowder-makers and 

 called Dogwood. 



ORDER XXV. SAPINDA CE.JE. 



Tribe ACERI'SE^E. 



Trees ; juice often sugary, sometimes milky. Leaves opposite, simple 

 or pinnate, deciduous. Flowers racemed or corymbose, often polygamous, 

 regular ; the lower or earlier in the raceme generally male, the terminal 

 2-sexual. Calyx 5- rarely 4-12-parted, deciduous, imbricate in bud. 

 Petals as many or 0, imbricate in bud. Stamens S, rarely indefinite, 

 inserted on the disk. Disk annular, thick, lobed or 0. Ovary laterally 

 compressed, 2- rarely 3 4-lobed and celled ; styles 2, filiform, stigmatose 011 

 the inner surface ; ovules 2 in each cell, attached by a broad base, super- 

 posed or collateral. Fruit of 2, rarely 3 or 4 spreading samaras. Seed 

 ascending, compressed, testa membranous, inner coat fleshy; cotyledons 

 plaited, radicle long. DISTRIB. Europe, N. Asia, N. America, Java, 

 most abundant in the Himalaya and Japan ; genera 3 ; species 50. 

 AFFINITIES. Allied to Celastrinece. The tribe Acerineoe differs from the 

 other plants of the great tropical order of Sapindacece chiefly in the 

 opposite leaves, and stamens inserted on (not within) the disk. PRO- 

 PERTIES. Sugar is made from the juice of American species. 

 1. A'CER, L. MAPLE. 



Leaves simple, entire or lobed. Disk annular. DISTRIB. of the Tribe. 

 ETYM. The Latin name. 



1. A. campes'tre, L. ; leaves reniform obtusely 5-lobed entire lobulate 

 or crenate, corymbs erect, wings of fruit horizontal. Common, or Small- 

 leaved Maple. 

 Thickets and hedgerows, from Durham southwards ; naturalized in Scotland ; 



rare in Ireland; fl. May-June. Small tree 10-20 ft., with spreading 



branches ; bark rough, fissured ; wood beautiful, fine-grained. Leaves 2-4 in. 

 G2 



