400 



ACERACEAE. 



[VOL. II. 



g. Acer Negundo L,. Box Elder. Ash-leaved 

 Maple. (Fig. 2380.) 



Acer Negundo L. Sp. PI. 1056. 1753. 

 Negundo aceroides Moench, Meth. 334. 1794. 

 Negundo Negundo Karst. Deutsch. Fl. 596. 1880-83. 



A tree with maximum height of 60 -70 and trunk diam- 

 eter of 2~3> . Leaves petioled, pinnately 3-5-foliolate; 

 leaflets ovate or oval, pubescent when young, nearly gla- 

 brous when old, a'-s' long, 1'-$' wide, dentate, slightly 

 lobed or sometimes entire, acute or acuminate at the apex, 

 rounded, or the terminal one somewhat cuneate at the 

 base; flowers dioecious, drooping, very small, appearing a 

 little before the leaves; samaras glabrous, slightly in- 

 curved, \'-\]/z f long, the broad wing finely veined. 



Along streams, Vermont and Ontario to Manitoba, south to 

 Florida, Texas, Mexico and New Mexico. Rare near the At- 

 lantic Coast. Wood soft, weak, creamy white; weight per 

 cubic foot 27 Ibs. Used for wopdenware and paper pulp. 

 Locally called Sugar Maple. April. 

 Acer Pseudo-Platanus L., the Sycamore Maple, with terminal drooping racemes of yellowish 

 flowers with very woolly ovaries, and deeply 3~5-lobed leaves, and Acer platanoides L., the Norway 

 Maple, with terminal rorymbs of greenish yellow flowers appearing with or before tin- sharply 

 5-7-lobed leaves, are commonly planted, and occasionally escaped from cultivation in the east. 



Family 68. HIPPOCASTANACEAE T. & G. Fl. N. A. i: 250. 1838. 



BUCKKYB FAMILY. 



Trees or shrubs, with opposite petioled digitately 3-9-foliolate leaves, and 

 conspicuous polygamous irregular flowers in terminal panicles. Calyx tubular or 

 campanulate, 5-lobed or 5-cleft in the following genus, the lobes unequal. Petals 

 4-5, unequal, clawed. Disk entire, often i-sided. Stamens 5-8; filaments elon- 

 gated. Ovary sessile, 3-celled; ovules 2 in each cavity; style slender. Capsule 

 leathery, globose or slightly 3-lobed, smooth or spiny, 3-celled or by abortion i- 

 2-celled, and often only i-seeded. Seeds large, shining; cotyledons very thick. 



The family consists of the following genus, containing about 15 species, natives of America 

 and Asia, ;md ' Hillia, of Mexico, which differs from AEscitltts in having distinct sepals. 



i. AESCULUS I,. Sp. PI. 344. 1753. 

 Characters of the family. [Ancient name.] 

 Capsule spiny, at least when young: stamens exsertcd. 



Flowers white, mottled with yellow and p-urple; leaves abruptly acuminate. 



i. AE. Hippocastanum. 

 I'lowers yellow. 



A tree: leaflets 5-7, pubescent 2. AE. glabra. 



A shrub; leaflets 7-9, glabrate. 3. AE. argula. 



Capsule glabrous; stamens not exceeding the petals. 



Corolla yellow, or purplish; calyx oblong; a tree. 4. AE. octandra. 



Corolla red; calyx tubular; a shrub. 5. AE. Pavia. 



i. AEsculus Hippocastanum L/. 

 Horse-chestnut. (Fig. 2381.) 



AEsculus Hippocastanum L. Sp. PI. 344. 1753- 



A large tree, reaching a maximum height of 

 about 100 and a trunk diameter of 6, the buds 

 very resinous. Leaves long-petioled, pubescent 

 when young, glabrate when mature, or with per- 

 sistent tufts of hairs in the axils of the veins on 

 the lower surface; leaflets 5-7 (occasionally only 3 

 on some leaves) obovate, 4 / -8 / long, abruptly 

 acuminate at the apex, cuneate-narrowed to the 

 base, irregularly crenulate-dentate; flowers white, 

 blotched with red and yellow, inflorescence rather 

 dense, often i long, the pedicels and calyx can- 

 escent; stamens exserted; fruit globose, prickly. 



Escaped from cultivation, southeastern New York 

 and New Jersey. Native of Asia. Called also Bon- 

 gay, and the fruit, in children's games, Conquerors. 

 June-July. 



