174 



THE MAPLE TRIBE. 



Fig. 217. 



are of a deeper orange-colour, spotted 

 with reddish-brown, and the spur is 

 very closely bent back upon the calyx, 

 and slightly notched at the extremity. 



A North American plant, which ap- 

 pears to have fully established itself 

 along the Wey, and some other streams 

 in Surre} r . FL summer. 



The Rue of our gardens (Ruta graveolens), and the Fraxinella of 

 flower-gardens (Dictamnus Fraxinella), both from southern Europe, 

 belong to the very large Rue family, chiefly numerous within the tro- 

 pics, and in the southern hemisphere, but unrepresented in Britain. 

 The Diosmas, Correas, and many other South African and Australian 

 plants in our plant-houses, are members of the same family. 



XXI. THE MAPLE TRIBE. ACERACEiE. 



(A Tribe of the Sapindus family, or Sapindacece.) 



The Maple tribe corresponds to the Linnsean genus Acer, which 

 modern botanists have broken up into two or three, by the sepa- 

 ration of a few North American or East Indian species. The 

 whole group consists, however, but of very few species, ranging 

 over the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere. 



The true Sapindacece are mostly tropical trees or lofty climbers, 

 and are seldom to be met with even in our hothouses ; but the Horse- 

 chestnuts {JEsculus, Linn.), so much planted in our parks and grounds, 

 form another group in the same family, or, according to some bota- 



