ACER. 
47 
ACER ; pronounce Aker not Aser. Of the 
useful maples, I hardly need give a Monograph, 
as they are so well known, and the G. Negun - 
dium is now separated, except by Eaton and 
such incorrect botanists. Yet some Sp. are not 
yet well settled, Nuttal unites the A . glabrum 
with A. circinatum Pursh : the A. coccineum, 
Mg. is only a variety of A. rubrum; many Sp. 
are blended as A . sacharinum because they 
produce sugar. 
A singular blunder has prevailed for this 
Genus. All trees are feminine in Latin, what- 
ever be the gender of the generic name : thus 
we say Quercus alba , Salix nigra , Idrioden - 
dron tulipifera &c. but in some neutral names 
like this we make the species neutral also ! I 
never could find a botanist or latin scholar to ex- 
plain the cause or propriety of this contradiction. 
See Michaux, Elliot, Nuttal, Eaton &c. for 
the species ; but I may present a better view of 
them divided into six sub Genera. 
I. Evotrium Raf. Polygamous. Calix 5 fid, 
petals 5, stamens 8, fruits smooth flowers in 
racemes, leaves lobed, A. Striatum , 2. A. spica - 
turn. 
II. Sacharodendron Raf. Polygamous. Cal. 
5fid bearded, no petals? Stamens 6 to 10, fruits 
smooth, flowers fasciculate, leaves lobed. 3. A. 
sacharinum , 4 A. barbatum , 5 A. nigrnm , 6 
A, circinatum Pursh glabrum Torey. 
III. Clinotrox (old name) Polygamous. Cal. 
petaloid smooth 8-12 parted, no petals, stamens 
4 to 6, with a globular gland at the base of each, 
fruits smooth, flowers agregate with a scaly in- 
volucre, leaves lobed. 7. A. rubrum , and the 
Var. Coccineum Mg. 
IV. Eriocarpum Raf. Polygamous. Cal. mem- 
