242 



trees. This species is now little used as a shade tree and is never recom- 

 mended because it sheds its leaves early, and is subject to injury from 

 disease and insects. 



la. Acer Negundo variety violaceum Kirchner. (Rulac Nuttallii 

 Nieuwland). This variety is distinguished by its glaucous twigs and 

 by the body of the fruit being glabrous at maturity. In most instances 

 when the bloom is rubbed from the twigs they show a purple tinge, 

 hence the varietal name. 



Distribution. I have this variety in Indiana from the following 

 counties: Brown, Cass, Elkhart, Franklin, Fulton, Hendricks, Henry, 

 Jennings, Lagrange, Martin, Posey, St. Joseph, Vermillion and Wayne. 



2. Acer saccharinum Linnaeus. SILVER MAPLE. SOFT MAPLE. 

 WHITE MAPLE. Plate 112. Medium sized trees; bark of small trees 

 smooth and gray, becoming on old trees reddish-brown, and freely 

 splitting into thin scales ; branchlets light to reddish-brown and generally 

 turning upward at their tips; leaves generally about 1 dm. long, generally 

 somewhat cordate at the base, sometimes truncate, deeply 3-lobed, each 

 of the lateral lobes with an additional lobe below, margins of all of the 

 lobes more or less irregular or even lobed, the two principal sinuses 

 generally show a tendency to close, leaves hairy beneath when young, 

 glabrous above and below at maturity and very glaucous beneath; 

 flowers appear in March or April in the axils of the leaves of the previous 

 year, the staminate and pistillate in separate clusters on the same or 

 different trees; fruit on pedicels 1.5-6 cm. long, maturing in the spring 

 or early summer, green, densely hairy while young and remaining more 

 or less hairy at maturity, 4-7 cm. long, wings 1-2 cm. wide. 



Distribution. New Brunswick to Florida, west to South Dakota 

 and south to Texas. Locally frequent to very common in all parts of 

 Indiana. This species is always found in wet or moist places, and in the 

 lower Wabash bottoms in low overflow lands or in or about old sloughs 

 it often forms the principal stand. It is more frequently associated with 

 black willow, white elm, red birch, sycamore, etc. 



Remarks. The silver maple has been used extensively for shade 

 tree planting. The branches are very brittle, and ice storms sometimes 

 break off so many branches that the tree may be badly injured. The 

 shade trees of this species are in many parts of the state being killed 

 by scale insects, and for this reason it should not be used. On account 

 of its rapid growth it has also been much used for windbreaks but this 

 practice should be discouraged and better species used. 



