218 SYSTEMATIC BOTANY. 



Poison Sumac (JR. venenata), both of the Eastern United 

 States, and the Poison Oak (iJ. diversiloba) of California, 

 are to most people quite poisonous. 



14. Sapindacese. Soapberry family. Trees and 

 shrubs, rarely herbs. Leaves mostly compound or lobed. 

 The five to ten stamens inserted on a fleshy disk, sepals 

 and petals four or five ; six hundred or seven hundred 

 widely distributed species. An important genus of this 

 family is the Acer, or Maples ; many of them are planted 

 for ornament, as Acer campestre (European Maple), A, 

 Psevdo-Platanua (Sycamore Maple), and A. platanoides 

 (Norway Maple), all of Europe ; and the Sugar-Maple {A. 

 saccharinurn), the Red Maple (A. ruhrurti), and Silver 

 Maple {A. dasycarpum). The Box-Elder (Negundo acer- 

 oides) is also cultivated for ornament. The Sugar-Maple 

 {A. saccharinurn) yields an abundance of sweet, watery 

 juice, or sap, from which Maple Sugar is made. The wood 

 is hard, as is also that of the Large-leaved Maple (J.. 

 maerophyllum) and the Vine Maple {A. cirdnatum) of 

 California and Oregon. The wood of the other species 

 is soft and of much less value. That called Bird's-eye 

 Maple is the distorted growth of A. saeeharinum. Other 

 important trees of this order are the Soapberry of Tropi- 

 cal America {Sapindus Sapindaria) , the rind of whose 

 hard globose seeds is saponaceous, and used by the natives 

 as a substitute for soap; Horse-chestnut {^seuhis Hippo- 

 cadanum), a valuable ornamental tree, in cultivation about 

 three hundred years, obtained originally, perhaps, from the 

 Himalayan range, etc. Other ornamental species are the 

 Balloon- Vine {Cardiospernmm Halicacabum), the Bladder- 

 nut (Staphylea trifolia), the Buckeyes {JEscuhs), etc. 



