.. 



110 xxvii. sapindace^e [A 



A. spicatum, Lam., the Mountain Maple, and A. pennsylvanicum, L., the Striped 

 Maple, are common to Japan and North America. 



IV. Leaves 5- or 7-lobed, with 5 or 7 basal nerves ; flowers 



in corymbs, umbels, or fascicles 7. A. pictum, Thunb. 



Of European species, stand near to this A. platanoides, L. , of North-Eastern and 

 Middle Europe, the Caucasus, and Taurus region, the inner lobes of leaves with par- 

 allel sides, 3- or 5-cleft at the top; A. opulifolium, Vill., of South Europe, the Cau- 

 casus, and North Persia, the flowers in sessile fascicles, on long hairy pedicels : and of 

 North American species, A. saccharinum, Wangenheim, the Sugar- or Rock-Maple. 



There are other groups comprising North American and Japanese species, of which 

 no representative forms are known from India. 



1. A. oblongum, Wall.; Jacq. Voy. Bot. t. 34. Vern. Mark, Pb. ; 

 Patangalia, pharengala, kirmoli, N.W.P. ; Mugila, buzimpala, Nepal. 



Leaves oblong, acuminate, entire, green above, whitish-glaucous be- 

 neath ; when young, with a few fine scattered hairs ; when older, glabrous 

 and coriaceous ; main lateral nerves 4-8 pair, prominent, with finely-ret- 

 iculated veins between. Petioles one-third or half the length of leaf. 

 Flowers pentamerous, in terminal corymbs ; ramifications, pedicels, and 

 calyx hairy. Sepals and petals linear-oblong. Stamens 8, longer than 

 calyx in the male flowers. Ovary hairy. Nuts unevenly gibbous ; wings 

 contracted at base, with a straight or somewhat curved back. 



Siwalik tract and Outer Himalaya, ascending to 6000 ft. from the Jhelam to 

 Bhutan, mostly in low valleys, in clumps of a few trees, not gregarious. Never 

 leafless, the mature foliage of a fine dark-green colour. PI. Feb.-Apr., the 

 fruit ripens June-Nov. A moderate- sized tree 40-50 ft. high, attaining 5 

 ft. in girth. Bark dark blackish grey, smooth, with horizontal wrinkles. Wood 

 light pink or reddish brown. Used for agricultural implements ; some of the 

 better drinking-cups in Tibet are said to be made of knobs of this wood. A. 

 laurinum, Hasskarl, from Java, Sumatra, is similar, but apparently distinct. 



2. A. lsevigatum, Wall. PL As. rar. t. 104. Vern. Saslendi, clierauni, 

 Nepal. 



Leaves oblong, acuminate, denticulate when young, entire when old, 

 coriaceous, lucid on both sides, glabrous save a small brown tuft of hairs 

 beneath in the axils of nerves ; main lateral nerves 4-6 pair, joined by 

 very prominent reticulate veins. Petioles short, less than \ the length 

 of leaf. Flowers pentamerous, on long filiform pedicels, in lax terminal 

 glabrous panicles ; calyx glabrous; petals white, cuneate or obovate, dis- 

 tinctly unguiculate. Stamens 5-8, in the male flowers much longer than 

 calyx, with a tuft of long hairs in place of ovary. Nuts smooth, oval ; 

 wings divergent, erect, or connivent, back curved. 



Outer Himalaya 5000-9000 ft., from the Jumna to Sikkim, Kasia hills. Fl. 

 Apr. ; the fruit ripens July, Aug. A larger tree than A. oblongum, with a 

 straight tall trunk 10-12 ft. in girth, branches spreading or hanging, forming 

 a broad oval crown. Bark thick, smooth, yellowish or dark ash-coloured. In 

 Nepal the wood is much used for building. A. reticulatum, Champ., Benth. 

 Flora Hongkong. 47, from that island, is very similar to this species, but pro- 

 bably distinct. 



