FOKEST TREES. 



95 



the species, or any of the various varieties within several miles 

 of it. the seeds produced are false. I have purposely kept this 

 tree isolated from the other sex of the same species in order 

 to see if by chance the flowers would be fertilized by some of 

 the other sx)ecies by which it is surrounded, for in that case a 

 hybrid might be produced, but thus far nothing of the kind has 

 occurred, and the seeds of the Negundo have been uniformly 

 unfertile. 



FOREIGi^" SPECIES OF THE MAPLE. 



There are no European or Asiatic species of the Maple that 

 for general usefulness are superior to the best of our indigenous 

 species. But there are a large number of species and varieties 

 well worthy of cultivation for ornamental purposes, and a few 

 may be considered as useful forest trees. 



EUROPEAN MAPLES. 



A. Pseudo-PIatanus. — Sycamore Maple. — A very large tree with 

 rather coarse spreading branches and deeply, five-lobed leaves, 

 rather downy beneath, and long reddish petioles (leaf -stalks). 

 The seeds are produced in long, pendulous, spreading racemes, 

 not in clusters or corymbs as in the Sugar, White, and Scarlet 

 Maples. The Sycamore Maple is a very vigorous and rapid 

 grower, even superior in this respect to our Sugar Maple, but 

 its branches are coarser and not so numerous, hence the trees, 

 when planted in streets 02 as single specimens on lawns or in 

 parks, appear to lack that fullness and grace of outline that 

 are so characteristic of the Sugar Maple. In Europe, the tree 

 grows to a great size, sometimes reaching a hundred feet high. 

 The wood is hard, close grained and valuable for many pur- 

 poses. Old trees planted in this country produce seed in great 

 abundance, and are usually to be obtained of dealers very 

 cheaply. 



There are several very handsome and desirable varieties of 

 the Sycamore Maple in cultivation. The following are the 

 most distinct : The Golden-leaved has deep, yellow leaves, 

 occasionally streaked or mottled. Purple-leaved, leaves purple 

 underneath and dark green above — the leaf -stalks also purple or 

 reddish, a handsome and vigorous growing tree. Three-colored 

 or Tricolor, leaves curiously streaked with red, white and 

 green. Silver Striped, leaves striped and streaked with white, 

 a very distinct and handsome variety, especially in spring when 

 the leaves first expand. Velvet-leaved, a curious variety, with 



