156 ACER 



upper growth had gone, but its trunk was more than 6 ft. through. Among 

 English trees, Mr Elwes gives the palm to one at Studley Park, in Yorkshire, 

 the seat of the Marquis of Ripon. This tree is 104 ft. high and 17^ ft. in girth. 

 The foliage of the sycamore has no autumn beauty, decaying a dingy brown ; 

 it is, moreover, frequently attacked by a fungus, Rhytisma acerinum, which 

 causes yellow or pale green spots to appear on the leaf-blade in June that turn 

 black towards the fall of the leaf. The timber is white, and easily worked. 



The sycamore has produced very many varieties and forms under cultiva- 

 tion, some as seedling variations, others as branch sports. It is not necessary 

 to enumerate more than the most distinct of them. 



Var. ALBO-VARIEGATUM. Leaves blotched and striped with white. 



Var. AUCUB^EFOLIUM. Leaves blotched with yellow like the common 

 aucuba. It appeared amongst some seedlings in the nursery of Messrs Little 

 Ballantyne at Carlisle, about 1876. 



Var. BRILLIANTISSIMUM. A very handsome variety with leaves of a 

 beautiful pinkish hue on unfolding. 



Var. CORSTORPHINENSE, Schwerin (flavo-variegatum, Loudori) ; CORSTOR- 

 PHINE PLANE. Leaves pale yellow when young, golden in summer. The 

 original tree grows in a garden at Corstorphine, near Edinburgh. James Baillie, 

 second Lord Forrester, is said to have been murdered by his sister-in-law at 

 the foot of this tree, 26th August 1679 ( see - Gar -den and Forest, 1893, P- 2O2 ) 



Var. ERYTHROCARPUM. Fruits red ; said to be wild in the Alps of Bavaria ; 

 very handsome from June onwards. The Pilrig " plane " has similarly 

 coloured fruits, but they are smaller and on larger racemes than in erythro- 

 carpum. 



Var. EUCHLORUM. A vigorous form with large leaves and fruit ; I have 

 measured keys 2^ ins. long, with wings nearly i in. wide. 



Var. LEOPOLDII. Leaves stained with yellowish pink and purple. 

 Originated in Belgium about 1860. There are several forms of the same 

 character, such as vars. " Simon-Louis Freres," TRICOLOR, and WEBBIANUM. 



Var. PRINZ HANDJERY. Leaves suffused wi.th yellow above, purple 

 beneath. Very pretty when the leaves are quite young. This variety, var. 

 NIZETII, and var. PURPUREO-VARIEGATUM are all variants from the following 

 one : 



Var. PURPUREUM. Leaves rich purple beneath ; originated in a nursery 

 in Jersey, in 1828. Var. ATROPURPUREUM is the same, with the purple of 

 a deeper shade. 



Var. VILLOSUM, Parlatore. A natural variety found in Sicily, S. Italy, 

 and Dalmatia. Leaves covered with down beneath ; the margins more 

 coarsely toothed. Cultivated in the grounds of Arley Castle, near Bewdley. 



Var. WORLEI. Leaves rich yellow. A superior form of the Corstorphine 

 sycamore ; leaf-stalks reddish. 



A. PURPURASCENS, Franchet. 



A deciduous tree, with five-lobed leaves similar to those of A. diabolicum ; 

 very downy beneath when young, and fringed with hairs on the margin. 

 Flowers purplish ; males in short-stalked corymbs ; stalks hairy when young, 

 becoming smooth at the fruiting stage ; females ^n few-flowered racemes. 

 Keys \\ ins. long, the nutlet covered with whitish bristles ; wings f in. wide, 

 parallel. 



Native of middle Japan ; very nearly allied to A. diabolicum, but at once 

 distinguishable when in bloom by the purple flowers; the wings of the fruit 

 also appear to be more closely brought together. It is a very rare plant in 

 cultivation, and is, apparently, not common in a wild state. The nutlets have 

 the same persistent, horn-like styles as are seen in A. diabolicum. 



