132 



JOUKNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ February 14, 1865. 



THE AEBOEETUM— DECIDUOUS TREES. 



{Continvcd from page 90.) 

 ACBK (the 



The genus Acer includes a great variety of species, a few 

 of which are evergreen, but these are chiefly tropical or sub- 

 tropiical. AH, or ne;u-]y nil, the deciduous kinds are perfectly 

 hardy, and most of them extremely valuable for their 

 timber. Some are low. others medium-sized trees ; but Acer- 

 eriocarpon, A. maorophyllum, and other large-leaved kinds 

 form timber trees of considerable magnitude. Their foliage 

 is as varied as their size, and gives them their ornamental 

 character. The Maples, therefore, should be a conspicuous 

 feature in the arboi'etum. The flowers are green and in- 

 conspicuous ; the fruit is double, each division containing one 

 single-seeded cavity, and extended at the back into a kind 

 of wing, called a key in English, or samcij-a by botanists. 



AcEK TATAuicuM (tho Tartarian Maple), has heart-shaped 

 leaves, ob- 

 long,unequal- 

 ]y serrated, 

 and usually 

 undivided; 

 hence, a very 

 distinct va- 

 riety. A na- 

 tive of south- 

 ern Asiatic 

 Kussia, Tar- 

 tary, ic^ 



A. SPICATUM 



(the Spiiked 

 Maple). — A 

 lov/ tree found 

 in the United 

 States andCa- 

 nada. Loudon 

 says, "That it 

 is very orna- 

 mental in au- 

 tumn, fi'om 

 its small keys 

 which are fir- 

 ed upon slen- 

 der pendulous 

 spikeB, and 

 have their 

 membranous 

 wings beauti- 

 fully tinged 

 with red when 

 ripe." 



A. OPULUS 



(the Gnelder- 

 Eose Maple). 

 -A small tree 

 growing plen- 

 tifully on the 

 Pyrenees and 

 French Alps. 

 " It is con- 

 sidered pre- 

 ferable to nil 

 the other Ma- 



lt aple). 

 If so, the Eoyal Horticultural Society would do well to pro- 

 pagate and distribute it. I am inclined to believe that the 

 Acer reported by Mr. Gordon, in the Number for September G, 

 186-i, is, in reality, A. obtusum, his description corresponding 

 with it, and the distinctive chai'acter between it and A. pla- 

 tanoides correctly pointed out. Although Loudon has given 

 A. Lobelii as a variety of A. platanoides, he evidently had some 

 doubts about it, as may be seen by referring to his ■■ Arbore- 

 tum," vol. i., p. 431. I feel no hesitation in stating my belief, 

 that when trees are more generally studied, and their charac- 

 ter better understood, it will be found that many that now go 

 by a distinct name wUl be found to be the same as some other 

 variety. Of Acer obtusum there is no doubt ; of A. Lobelii 

 there appears to be much. So A. opalis (Italy), and A. opu- 



lus (France), 

 formerly de- 

 scribed as 

 two different 

 kinds, ai'e un- 

 doubtedly but 

 one. 



A.MONSPES- 

 SULANUM (the 

 Montpellier 

 Maple), has 

 leaves slight- 

 ly cordate, 

 with three en- 

 tire, nearly 

 equal, diverg- 

 ing lobes. 

 Pound in the 

 south of 

 France, and 

 in Spain, in 

 rooky situa- 

 tions. In its 

 native ' coun- 

 tries it some- 

 times attains 

 a height of 



40feet; but in 

 England the 

 tree is much 

 less,aud''may 

 bo considered 

 as purely one 

 of ornament, 

 and as such, it 

 well deserves 

 a place in 

 every collec- 

 tion."- 



A. PLATA- 

 NOIDES (the 

 Norway Ma- 

 ple).— One of 

 tho finest and 

 best known of 

 tho exotic Ma- 



Acor circinatuin. 



pies for its wood, which is hard and compact, not easily split, 

 and so hcmogcneouB in its texture that it is almost impossible 

 to distinguish it in its annual layers." 



A. OBTUBATUSI (tho Neapolitan Maple).— Leaves heart- 

 shaped, roundish, five-lobed, woolly beneath. Found in 

 Hungary, Croatia, and many parts of Italy. It frequently 

 reaches the height of i'l feet, and is extremely striking with 

 its reddish purple branches. Of this beuutilul tree we read 

 — " It is certainly very pingular that so line a tree as this, oc- 

 cupying so large a tract of country, frequently visited by 

 English tourists, should be almost unknown in this country ; 

 and yet, although it is perfectly hardy and very easily mul- 

 tiplied, it is scarcely ever met with in any but botanical col- 

 lections." Here, then, is a case calling for attention. Lou- 

 don says there is a specimen in the arboretum at Chiswick. 



]iks, with very handsome, glossy, dcop green leaves, not 

 unlike the ccjmmon Sycamore. A striped variety of this 

 species, called by gardeners the Silver-striped Maple, is sorao- 

 tinies met wilh'in kept grounds. Loudon describes another 

 variety of it, called A. platanoiilea laciniatum, as very dis- 

 tinct, Avith leaves deeply and variously cut. A. platanoides. 

 purpurcum can hardly Ijo reckoned as another variety. 



A. MACUOPHYLLUM (the Uroad-leavcd Maple). — Leaves 

 divided into five dcop, spreading, slightly lobed segments,, 

 the middle one of wliich is often narrow at tho base, .and tho 

 lowei- ones generally smaller than tho others. Tho finest of 

 tho North American varieties. It also produces useful timber. 



A. vii.LOBUM (the Downy Maple).— Described as a large 

 tree, found in tho Himalaya mountains, approaching the 

 limits of pei-petual snow. There are very few Bpecimons 



