THE MAPLE. 
51 
The leaves vary greatly in size, those growing on a tree 
being much larger than those produced by a bush. They 
range from two to four inches in diameter, and are always 
in pairs— springing from the sides of the branch exactly 
opposite to each other. The general form of the leaf is 
kidney-shaped, but it is cut up into five lobes, which are 
more or less toothed. They are downy when young, of a 
deep green colour, but too frequently this is disguised by 
a thick layer of road-dust. In October they turn to a rich 
yellow, and the Maple is then prominent even in a distant 
view, for the bright colour of the foliage makes the tree stand 
out prominently, in strong contrast with the still deep green 
of the Oaks or Firs beyond. 
The Maples are among the trees that have complete 
flowers, although in this case they happen to be greenish 
yellow. They are about a quarter of an inch across, have 
narrow sepals and narrower petals, eight stamens, and a 
two-lobed flattened ovary, that develops into the pair of 
broad-winged “ keys,” or samaras. These are individually 
much like those of the Ash, but unsymmetrical and curved, 
half an inch long, with their bases joined together. Sometimes 
in late summer these “ keys ” take on a colouring of deep 
crimson, previous to turning brown as they ripen. As a 
rule the contained seeds take eighteen months to germinate, 
though a few may start growth the first spring. 
The Common Maple is thought to be indigenous only from 
the county of Durham to the southern coast, and in Ireland. 
In Scotland it is only an introduced plant that has become 
naturalized. 
The Great Maple, Sycamore, or False Plane {Acer pseudo- 
platatius) is not a native tree, but it appears to have been 
introduced from the Continent as far back as the fifteenth 
century, so that it has had time during the intervening cen- 
turies to get welt established among us, and by means of its 
