A C A 



skies and shining, from a span to a foot in length, 

 divided deeply into opposite ovate lobes, which 

 are bluntly toothed and finely eiliate about the 

 edges, placed on roundish petioles, with a flat 

 chanuel running along the upper surface. Both 

 the leaves and flower-stems rise directly from the 

 root : the former, by spreading closely upon the 

 ground in circular clusters, produce agood effect. 

 But though the leaves are said to be smooth, they 

 are not w ithout v. hite bristles on both sides, espe- 

 cially along the nerves. The flowers are white, 

 and come out from about the middle to the top 

 of the stalk. They make their appearance in July 

 or August, continuing in blow a month or six 

 weeks, and then produce seed. 



There is a variety of this plant in which the 

 leaves are larger and less sinuated, the upper side 

 shining. 



The second sort, or Prickly Acanthus, has the 

 le .3 deeply jagged in very regular order; each 

 segment is terminated by a sharp spine, as are 

 also the petioles and the calyx of the flowers, so 

 that the plant is troublesome to handle. In both 

 these species the leaves and stalks are annual. 



The Holly-leaved Acanthus is an evergreen 

 shrub, which rises about four feet in height, di- 

 viding into many branches; the leaves being si- 

 milar to those of the common holly both in size 

 and shape, Mid also armed with spines in the 

 same manner. The flowers come out vingly in 

 an upright raceme at the end of the stalk, are 

 white, and shaped like those of the Common 

 Acanthus, but smaller. 



The two first are thick, fleshy, fibrous-rooted 

 plants, which spread considerably, and penetrate 

 the earth to a great depth. They are found in 

 their native state in Spain, Italy, and Portugal ; 

 but grow without difficulty in the open ground in 

 this climate. 



The last is a very tender plant, which in this 

 climate requires the constant heat o Jthe stove to 

 preserve it. It is a native of South America, and 

 also of both the East and West Indies. It is 

 retained in hot-houses for the purpose of variety. 

 Culture. — Both the Smooth and Prickly Acan- 

 thus are found to succeed in any common soil 

 without much attention to the nature of the ex- 

 posure, and are said by Miller to be lasting plants, 

 which may be propagated either by seeds or the 

 parting of the roots. If by the former method, 

 the seed should be sown in a light dry soil to- 

 wards the end of March, either in slight drills or 

 on the plain surface, and immediately raked in. 

 When the season proves favourable, the plants 

 appear in May, and all the after-culture they re- 

 quire is to keep them clean from weeds, and, 

 where they stand too close, to thin them out, 

 so as to leave them about six inches apart; which 

 is room sufficient for them to grow in until 



ACE 



the autumn, when they should be transplanted 

 into situations where they are designed to re- 

 main. The first, as being the most tender, is ad- 

 vised to be planted in a v. arm border near a wall, 

 and which, as the plants do not multiply so fast by 

 their roots, do not require more room than about 

 three feet; but the second, as it spreads its roots, 

 to a great distance, should have more than twice 

 that space. From this last sort being hardy, it 

 may be proper to be planted between shrubs to fill 

 up vacant spaces ; where it will grow without diffi- 

 culty, provided the ground be light and not over 

 wet ; and when in flower will thus make an 

 agreeable variety. 



When theyare propagated by their roots, the 

 operation may be performed either in spring or 

 autumn : but the former should only be removed 

 in the spring ; for, if transplanted in the autumn, 

 and the following winter should prove cold, it 

 will run the hazard of being destroyed. The 

 roots in these cases should not be parted too 

 small, and the plants be at once placed out where 

 they are to remain. See Parting of Roots. 

 As these plants take very deep root, when plant- 

 ed in wet ground, the roots are liable to rot in 

 the winter. They have frequently been traced 

 more than four feet: they shouid not there- 

 fore be wholly removed after they have been 

 growing long in a place ; but the side shoots be 

 annually taken off", otherwise they will be apt to 

 spread so far as to overpower the neighbouring 

 plants or shrubs. The remaining culture is only 

 that of affording the flowering stems due support 

 when it becomes requisite, and carefully clearing 

 away the decayed stalks in the autumn. 



When these plants are once well established 

 in a piece of ground, they are observed by Miller 

 to be eradicated with great difficulty. 



Both the Smooth and Prickly Acanthus are 

 mostly kept in the nurseries for the purpose of 

 sale. 



The Shrubby species of Acanthus may be pro- 

 pagated with the greatest certainty by sowing 

 seed that has been procured from abroad, in pots ; 

 to be plunged in a bark-bed in the stove until the 

 plants are raised, when they are to be managed 

 in the sair»e manner as other hot-house plants. 

 Layers and cuttings likewise sometimes succeed, 

 when planted in pots and placed in the same si- 

 tuations. 



ACER, the Maple, a genus including a great 

 variety of hardy deciduous trees, usefurboth for 

 the purposes of timber, and those of ornament in 

 pleasure-grounds, and other situations. 



It belongs to the class and order Pohjgam'ia 

 Monoecia, and ranks in the natural order Tri- 

 MlatcB. 



The characters of which are : that it has herms- 

 phrodite and male flowers on the same tree : the 

 B 3 



