﻿( 98 .) 



ACER* *. 



Linnean Class and Order. OcTA'NDRiA-f, Monogy'nia. 

 Natural Order. Aceri'neaj, Decandolle. — Lind). Syn. p. 55 ; 

 Introd. to Nat. Syst. p. 117. — Rich, by Macgilliv. p. 489. — Loud. 

 Hort. Brit. p. 505. — Acera, Juss. Gen. PI. p. 250. — Sm. Gram, of 

 Bot. p. 141. 



Gen. Char. Calyx inferior, of 1 sepal ; flat and orbicular at 

 the base ; the margin in 5 deep, pointed, oblonsr, permanent seg- 

 ments. Corolla of 5 inversely egg-shaped petals, of the same size 

 and substance as the segments of the calyx, and alternate with them. 

 Filaments (fig. 2.) generally 8, awl-shaped, inserted into the calyx. 

 Anthers peltate, roundish, of 2 lobes. Germen (fisr. 3.) superior, 

 compressed, of 2 lobes. Style cylindrical, gradually elongated. 

 Stigmas (see fig. 3.) 2 or 3, tapering to a point, slender, reflexed. 

 Capsules (figs. 4 & 5.) as many as the stigmas, united at the base, 

 roundish, compressed, each terminating in a firm, membranous, 

 spreading wing, (hence called a samara,) 1-celled. Seeds (see 

 fig. 6.) 1 or 2, roundish. Cotyledons folded. 



The anthers are imperfect in some of the flowers, the pistils in 

 some others (see figs. 1 and 2), but many flowers are perfect in both 

 organs. The divisions of the calyx, as well as the petals, vary in 

 number, and the stamens accord with them. Sir J. E. Smith. 



The 5-cleft, inferior calyx ; the corolla of 5 petals ; and the 

 winged capsule; will distinguish this from other genera in the same 

 class and order. 



Two species British. 



ACER CAMPE'STRE. Common Maple. 



Spec. Char. Leaves irregularly 5-lobed, obtuse, somewhat cut. 

 Flowers in upright clusters. 



Engl. Bot. t. 304. — Linn. Sp. PI. p. 1497. — Evelyn’s Silva, by Dr. Hunter, 

 p. 191. .t. .— Huds. FI. Angl. (2nd ed.) p. 445. — Sm. FI. Brit. v. i. p. 422. 

 Eng. FI. v. ii. p. 231. — With. (7th ed.) v. ii. p. 475. — Gray's Nat. Arr. v. ii. p. 

 636. — Lindl. Syn. p. 55. — Ilook. Brit. FI. p. 174. — Light. FI. Scot. v. ii. p.640. — 

 Sibth. FI. Oxon. p. 127. — Abbot’s FI. Berlf. p. 220. — Relh. FI. Cant. (3id ed.) 

 p. 161. — Hurt. Midi. FI. v.ii. p. 492. — Ilook. FI. Scot. p. 120. — Grev. FI. Edin. 

 p. 89. — FI. Devon pp. 69 & 179.— Don’s Gen. Syst. of Gard. and Bot. v. i. p. 

 649. — Curt. Brit. Entomol. v. vii. t. 328. — Walk. FI. of Oxf. p. 112. — Bab. FI. 

 Bath. p. 10 — Mack. Catal. of PI. of Ire), p. 37. — Acer minus, Ray’s Syn. p. 

 470. — Johnson’s Gerarde, p. 1484. 



Luca litifs. — In woods, thickets, and hedges. — Common in ENGLAND; 

 rare in SCOTLAND and IRELAND. 



A Tree. — Flowers in May and June. 



A small tree, the bark of whose trunk and larger branches, is 

 corky and full of fissures; that of the younger branches smooth. 

 Leaves small, opposite, downy while young, on long downy pe- 



Fig. 1. A Flower with Stamens only. — Fig. 2. Stamens and Disk. — Fig. 3. 

 A Flower with both Stamens and a Pistil, showing the Germen, Style, and 

 Stigmas. — Figs. 4 Sc 5 Capsules or Samara?. — Fig. 6. One of the Capsules di- 

 vided to show the seed. 



* F’rom acer, Lat. sharp or hard, which comes from ac, a point, in Celtic. 

 The name is applied to this genus, because the wood is extremely hard, and was 

 formerly much sought after for the purpose of making pikes and lances, &c. Mr. 

 G. Don. t Sec Adoxa Moschatellina, folio 42, note t* 



