230 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



Generally trees, with the leaves always opposite, commonly 

 palmatcly loljeil, or pinnate with 3 to 5 leaflets. Sap often con- 

 taining sugar. 



GENUS I.— A C E R. Zinn. 



riowers generally polygamous. Calyx 5- more rarely 4- to 12- 

 partite, deciduous, imbricated, often coloured. Petals as many as 

 the calyx lobes or absent. Stamens usually 8, but from 4 to 12, 

 inserted in various modes upon the annular disk. Pilaments 

 longer in the male flowers than in the others. Fruit of 2 divaricate 

 indehiscent winged lobes or samara?. Seed 1 (more rarely 2). 



Trees of various stature, frequently with saccharine juice, with 

 hard white wood. Leaves opposite, stalked, more or less deeply 

 palmately lobed or partite. Flowers in short racemes or corymbs, 

 yellowish or greenish, appearing with or before the leaves in spring. 



The name of this genus is really a Latin word, which signifies strong or hardy, 

 because the wood is compact and close-grained, and was formerly much sought after 

 for making pikes and lances. 



SPECIES I.-ACER PSEUDO-PLATANUS. Lm 

 Tlate CCCXX. 

 Hekh. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. V. Sapind. Tab. CLXIV. Fig. 4829. 



Leaves palmately 5-lobed ; the lobes acute and again slightly 

 lobed and coarsely serrate ; the sinus between the lobes acute ; 

 under side opaque, whitish. Flowers numerous, in elongated 

 drooping racemose panicles. Wings of the fruit widening out 

 towards the apex, the angle included between their outer margins 

 less than a right angle. 



In hedgerows and open woods. Common throughout the 

 country, but doubtfully native. 



England, Scotland, Ireland. Tree. Spring. 



A large tree, often 50 feet or more high, with the branches 

 ascending or spreading. Bark rather smooth, pale olive. Leaves 

 opposite, on petioles as long as themselves, 4 to 8 inches across, with 

 5 acute or acuminated lobes not extending half-way to the base of 

 the leaf. Flowers gi*eenish, ^ inch across, in sliortly-stalked racemes; 

 raceme 3 or 4 inches long, with a few of the pedicels towards the 

 base branched so as to be really a panicle, at first very compact 

 and conical with a blunt apex, afterwards l)ecoming more lax. 

 Pedicels longer than the calyx. Sepals strap-shajied. Petals resem- 

 bling the sepals, but narrower. Stamens generally 8. Style witli 2 



