3'28 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



vellow flowers crowd the leafless sprays of some ; leaves of gorgeous 

 hues bedeck most of them in the autumn ; streaks and bands of silvery- 

 white adorn the back of one or two, and strange winged fruit belongs 

 to all." 



In the years which have elapsed since the above was written, new 

 species and new forms have been introduced to the gardens of this 

 country, and others from Manchuria and China, but recently named by 

 Sargent, are proving distinct and interesting. In 1868 the value of these 

 Eastern Maples was evident as far as Japan was concerned, and time has 

 but confirmed the opinion. The new species from the Valley of the 

 Yangtsze are no less promising. 



The popularly known "Japanese Maples" are varieties of the two 

 species Acer palmatum and Acer japonicum, the two most commonly 

 cultivated by the Japanese, but there are many other species found in 

 the woods which deserve to be better known and more frequently planted. 

 These are described in the present paper, as well as some new introductions 

 from Central China now undergoing trial at Coombe Wood, in Surrey. 



Although over forty years have passed since my firm introduced the 

 first batch of Acer ( polymorphism) palmatum varieties, judging from the 

 paucity of good specimens found in gardens, it does not appear that the 

 many fine forms are sufficiently appreciated, due possibly to a mistaken 

 idea that they are not hardy in this country, a fear justified when the 

 plants were newly introduced, but now untenable. 



The experience at Coombe Wood, and in many gardens in various 

 parts of the country, has placed it beyond doubt that the Japanese Maples 

 are hardy in Great Britain, although of slow growth. 



They are also hardy in America and are grown in large quantities in 

 the neighbourhood of New York and Boston, where the winters surpass 

 in severity those experienced in these islands, and where also the bright 

 sunshine of the summer months gives to the foliage a brilliance we 

 cannot hope to rival. Not the least of the attractions of this great 

 group are many of the forms of Acer palmatum and A. japonicum, low- 

 growing round-headed bushes, or small trees with slender twiggy growths, 

 almost entirely hidden by a wealth of foliage of the most variable form. 

 Of colour they have a range such as no other class of deciduous trees 

 possesses, from soft pale green, through golden-yellow to bright crimson, 

 claret-red, and deep blackish-purple. 



In the matter of culture the Japanese Maples are by no means 

 exacting, given a soil sufficiently deep to afford a sure supply of moisture 

 during periods of drought, and a position sheltered from the north and 

 east winds, always liable to injure the tender foliage in spring and spoil 

 the symmetry of the tree by breaking or checking the growth of the 

 branches. 



Some of the varieties with finely cut foliage are eminently suited to 

 pot culture, and in early spring their delicate frond-like leaves are an 

 admirable contrast to flowering plants ; but it is by no means necessary 

 to restrict their culture to pots and glass-houses, as they are as much at 

 home and quite as hardy as the broad-leaved forms in the open garden. 

 The very dwarf varieties are admirable subjects for rockeries. 



Where colour schemes in foliage are attempted, the various forms of 



