140 ACER 



Central Europe. The habit is extremely graceful, the tree forming a huge 

 spreading, rounded head with the smaller branches and branchlets pendulous ; 

 bark light grey ; branchlets smooth. Leaves five-lobed (the lobes sharp- 

 pointed and irregularly toothed), heart-shaped at the base, 4 to 6 (occasionally 

 8) ins. long, about the same in width, smooth and light green on the upper 

 surface, white and minutely downy beneath. Flowers greenish yellow, without 

 petals, opening long in advance of the leaves and produced in short dense 

 clusters from the joints of the previous year's wood. Fruit on slender, 

 pendulous stalks i^ to 2 ins. long, the wings round-ended, ^ to f in. wide, 

 spreading at a broaci angle. 



Native of Eastern N. America; introduced in 1725. This maple is the 

 fastest-growing of the American species, and a tree of great beauty in habit and 

 foliage. A little wind will set the long pendulous branches swaying, and by 

 revealing the silvery under-surface of the leaves makes it one of the brightest of 

 tree pictures. In mild seasons it will flower as early as the elm, and, perhaps 

 in consequence, rarely develops seeds freely with us. In N. America the seeds 

 are ripe by May, and falling to the ground, germinate at once and produce 

 several pairs of leaves before autumn. In middle Europe it is more freely 

 planted than in England, and is perhaps the most striking of all deciduous 

 trees in N. Central Germany. Few trees there are better for planting in town 

 squares and roomy streets. The leaves fade into yellow before falling. 

 Raised from seeds, this maple produces many slightly different forms, several 

 of which have received distinctive names. The following are the most 

 important : 



Var. CRISPUM. A close- growing variety with the leaves deeply lobed and 

 the margins crinkled. 



Var. LACINIATUM, Pax. Leaves divided into deeper, narrower lobes than 

 the type. Vars. HETEROPHYLLUM and WIERI are forms of the same character. 



Var. PENDULUM. In this the pendulous character of the branches is 

 more marked than in the type. 



Var. TRIPARTITUM. Leaves lobed to the midrib. 



Var. VARIEGATUM. Leaves marked with white ; poor, and apt to grow 

 out of character. 



A. DAVIDII, Franchet. DAVID'S MAPLE. 



A deciduous tree, 30 to 50 ft. high, with the younger bark beautifully striped 

 with white, as in A. pennsylvanicum. Leaves glossy green, ovate, slightly 

 heart-shaped at the base, unevenly toothed, 3 to 7 ins. long, iijr to 4 ins. wide ; 

 veins prominent and parallel ; covered with reddish down when young, each 

 vein enlarging at the base where it joins the midrib and forming a minute 

 pocket. Flowers yellowish, on slender, pendulous racemes \\ to 2^ ins. long, 

 the female flowers on longer stalks and larger racemes than the males. Fruit 

 smooth ; keys i^ ins. long ; wings in. wide, spreading almost horizontally. 



Native of Central China; introduced by Maries for Messrs Veitch in 1879, 

 and again by Wilson in 1902. This distinct maple has proved to be quite 

 hardy, and its large undivided leaves and handsomely striated branches make 

 it very distinct. The leaves are sometimes 8 ins. long, and of a reddish 

 tinge on first unfolding ; they are rather variable in the amount of reddish 

 down beneath. 



A. DIABOLICUM, Blume. HORNED MAPLE. 



(Gardeners' Chronicle, 1881, i., fig. 100.) 



A round-topped, deciduous tre<-, about 30 ft. high ; branchlets covered with 

 whitish hairs when young, becoming smooth later. Leaves 4 to 7 ins. wide 





