Acta. 4*7 



ACER ; pronounce A^cer not Aser. Of the 

 useful maples, I hardly need give a Monocrraph, 

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

 dlum is now separated, except hy Eaton and 

 such incorrect botanists. Yet sonic 8p. are not 

 yet well settled, Nuttal unites the A. glahrum 

 \v'\ih A, circinatumVmsh: the A. coccineum 

 Mg. is only a variety of A. ruhrmn; 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, wliat- 

 ever be the gender of the generic name : thus 

 we say Quercns alba, Salix nigra, Lirioden- 

 dron tulipifera Sec, but in some nteutral 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; 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, Striatum, 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, barbatum, 5 A. nigrum, 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. rubrum, and the 

 Var. Coccineum Mg. 



IV.ERiocARPUMRaf. Polygamous. Cal. mem- 



