Spec. Char., &c. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, acuminated, quite entire, coriaceous, smooth, rounded at the base. Racemes compound; wings of fruit parallel, smooth, separated. (Don's Mill., i. p. 648.) Native of Nepal, where it flowers in February; introduced in 1824. Height 20 ft. This species is rather tender, and somewhat difficult to keep in the open ground. We are not aware of any living plant of it being in the neighbourhood of London; but there is one in the arboretum of John Thomas Brooks, Esq., at Flitwick House, Bedfordshire, which is frequently killed down to the ground during winter, but always shoots up vigorously the following spring. The leaves and general appearance of the shoots resemble those of a eucalyptus; hence its character among maples is so very extraordinary, that to the botanist it must be a species of very great interest. 2. A. TATA'RICUM L. The Tartarian Maple. Identification. Lin. Sp., 1495.; Dec. Prod., 1. p. 593.; Hayne Dend., p. 209.; Don's Mill., 1. p. 648. Synonymes. Erable de Tartarie, Fr.; Tartarische Ahorn, Ger.; Zarza-modon, or Locust Tree, Russ Engravings. Pali. Fl. Ros., t. 3. ; Tratt. Arch., 1. No. 1.; Wat. Deħid. Brit., t. 160.; our fig. 114. in p. 434.; and the plate of this species in our Second Volume. Spec. Char. Leaves cordate, undivided, serrated, with obsolete lobes. Racemes compound, crowded, erect; wings of fruit parallel, young ones puberulous. (Don's Mill., i. p. 648.) A low tree, native of Tartary, introduced in 1759; flowering in May and June, and growing to the height of from 20 ft. to 30 ft. Description, &c. The branches are numerous, and disposed into a compact head, densely covered with leaves, which are distinguished by a peculiarly veiny appearance, and lively green. The flowers are of a pale greenish yellow, sometimes slightly tinged with red, as are the fruit, or keys, before their maturity. When raised from seed, the plant will come into flower in 5 or 6 years; and, in good soil, it will attain the height of 15 ft. in 10 years. Geography, History, &c. This species is common throughout all the south of European Russia; but it is not found on the Ural Mountains, or on Caucasus. Near the Wolga and its tributary streams, it forms a hemispherical tree, about 20 ft. in height, and the same in diameter. In New Russia, it attains the size of Acer campestre. (Pull.) According to some, this species will thrive in a moister soil than most others. The wood is hard; and, being of whitish colour veined with brown, it may be used for cabinetwork. In ornamental plantations, this species is valuable on account of the early expansion of its leaves, which appear before those of almost every other kind of Acer. Pallas informs us, that the Calmucks, after depriving the keys of their wings, boil them in water, and afterwards use them for food, mixed up with milk and butter. In Britain, it is planted solely as an ornamental tree or bush. Statistics. The largest specimen of it in the neighbourhood of London is at Syon, where it has attained the height of 25 ft. In Devonshire, at Endsleigh Cottage, 18 years planted, it is 40 ft. high. In Sussex, at West Dean, 15 years planted, it is 19 ft. high. In Staffordshire, at Trentham, 16 ft. high, with a head 20 ft. in diameter. In Worcestershire, at Croome, 30 years planted, and 30 ft. high. In Scotland, in the Perth Nursery, 14 years planted and 10 ft. high. Price, in London, 1s.; and at Bollwyller, 1 franc each. B. Leaves 3-lobed, or trifid; rarely 5-lobed. 3. A. SPICA TUM L. The spiked-flowered Maple. Identification. Lam. Dict., 2. p. 381.; Dec. Prod., 1. p. 593.; Don's Mill., 1. p. 648. Synonymes. A. montanum Ait. Hort. Kew., 3. p. 435.; 4. pennsylvanicum Du Roi, Harlek, t. 2.; 4. Spec. Char., &c. Leaves cordate, 3- or slightly 5-lobed, acuminated, pubescent beneath, unequally and coarsely serrated. Racemes compound, erect. Petals linear. Fruit smooth, with the wings rather diverging. (Don's Mill., i. p. 648.) Flowers polygamous. A deciduous tree, a native of the mountains of Canada, and of the Alleghany Mountains; producing its very small greenish flowers in April and May, and attaining in its native country, according to Michaux, the height of 6 ft. or 8 ft. Introduced in 1750, by Archibald Duke of Argyle, and about as common in ornamental plantations in England as Acer tatáricum. In British gardens, it forms a low tree, 8 ft. or 10 ft. high, very ornamental in autumn, from its small keys, which are fixed upon slender pendulous spikes, and have their membranous wings, beautifully tinged with red when ripe. Michaux states that this species, grafted upon the sycamore, is, like the A'cer striatum, augmented to twice its natural dimensions; a fact which we have never had an opportunity of seeing verified. Statistics. At Syon, 25 ft. high. In Worcestershire, at Croome, 30 years planted and 40 ft. high, the trunk 15 in. in diameter, and the diameter of the head 20 ft. In Scotland, at Edinburgh, in the Caledonian Horticultural Society's Garden, 9 years planted and 30 ft. high. Price, in London, 1s. 6d. a plant; at Bollwyller, 1 franc 50 cents; at New York, 25 cents, and seeds 1 dollar per quart. 4. A. STRIATUM L. The striped-barked Maple. Identification. Lam. Dict., 2. p. 381.; Dec. Prod., 1. p. 593.; Don's Mill., 1. p. 648. Synonymes. 4. pennsylvánicum Lin. Sp., 1496.; 4. canadense Marsh., and Duh. Arb., 1. t. 12. ; Snake-barked Maple, Moose Wood, striped Maple; E'rable jaspé, Fr.; gestreifter Ahorn, Ger. Engravings. Mill. t. 7.; Tat. Arch., No. 11.; Mich. Fel. Arb., 2. t. 17.; our fig. 116. in p. 436, 457. ; and the plate of this species in our Second Volume. Spec. Char. Leaves cordate, 3-lobed, acuminated, finely and acutely, serrated. Racemes pendulous, simple. Petals oval. Fruit smooth, with the wings rather diverging. (Don's Mill., i. p. 643.) A tree readily distinguished by the striped bark of the young shoots, growing in its native country to the height of 10 ft. or 12 ft., but to that of 20 ft. or upwards in a state of cultivation. It produces its flowers in May and June, and sometimes ripens seeds. Description, &c. The trunk and branches are covered with a smooth green bark, longitudinally marked with black and white stripes, by which the tree is readily distinguished at all seasons of the year. In America, it is one of the first trees that announces the approach of spring. Its buds and leaves, when beginning to unfold, are rose-coloured. The leaves are of a thick texture, and finely serrated. The flowers are greenish, and are grouped on long peduncles. The fruit is remarkable for a cavity on one side of the capsules. It is a native of North America, in Nova Scotia, and from Canada to Carolina. It makes its first appearance in about latitude 47°, and is particularly abundant in Nova Scotia, the State of Maine, and New Hampshire. In approaching the Hudson, it becomes more rare; and, beyond this boundary, it is confined to the mountainous tracts of the Alleghanies, in which it is found in cold shaded exposures, along the whole range to its termination in Georgia. In many of the forests of Maine and New Hampshire, A. striatum constitutes a great part of the undergrowth, seldom exceeding 10 ft. in height; but, where it is not shaded by other trees, it attains the height of 20 ft. or upwards. The wood is white and fine-grained, and used by cabinet-makers as a substitute for holly. Cattle, in Nova Scotia, are fed with the leaves, both in a green and dried state; and in spring, when the buds begin to swell, both horses and cattle are turned into the woods to browse on the young shoots, which they consume with avidity. (Michaux.) From the great beauty of its bark, this tree deserves a place in every collection. It is propagated by seeds, which are received from America, or by grafting on A. Pseùdo-Piátanus. Statistics. The largest specimen which we know of within a short distance of London, is at Mr. Needham's villa, near Maidenhead, where it has attained the height of 16 ft. 6 in. in 20 years. Near Reading, at White Knights, a tree 25 years planted is 21 ft. high; in Surrey, at Farnham Castle, 35 years planted, it is 16 ft. high; in Yorkshire, at Ripley Castle, 11 years planted, it is 15 ft. high. In Scotland, in the garden of the Caledonian Horticultural Society, 9 years planted, it is 8 ft. high. In Ireland, at Oriel Temple, 35 years planted, it is 27 ft. high. Price of plants, in the London Nurseries, Is. 6d. each; at Bollwyller, I franc 50 cents; and at New York, 25 cents a plant, and 1 dollar and 50 cents for a quart of seed. C. Leaves 5-lobed. ¥ 5. A. MACROPHYLLUM Pursh. The long, or large, leaved Maple. Identification. Pursh, FL Amer. Sept., 1. p. 267.; Dec. Prod., 1 p. 594.; Don's Mill., 1 p. 649. Engravings. Hook. Fl. Bor. Amer., 1. t 38.; our figs. 117, in p. 438, 439., and 118. in p. 440, 441.; and the plate of this species in our Second Volume. Spec. Char., &c. Leaves digitately 5-lobed, with roundish recesses. Lobes somewhat 3-lobed, repandly toothed, pubescent beneath, racemes compound, erect. Stamens 9, with hairy filaments. Ovaries very hairy. (Don's Mill., i. p. 648.) The leaves vary much in size, and also in the manner in which they are lobed. Those of the dried specimens sent home by Mr. Douglas, are cut nearly to the base, so as almost to merit the appellation of palmate, while those of young plants in the London Horticultural Society's Garden, and at Messrs. Loddiges's, are not more deeply cut than those of A. platanoides, as may be seen by our figs. in p. 440, 441., taken from leaves gathered in these gardens. Description, &c. A tree of the largest size, a native of the north-west coast of North America, and introduced into England in 1812; where, however, it has not yet flowered. In its native country it is found exclusively in woody mountainous regions along the sea coast, between 40° and 50° N. lat., and on the great rapids of the Columbia. This noble tree, Dr. Hooker observes, was unquestionably discovered by Mr. Menzies, the first naturalist who visited the coast where it grows. Mr. Douglas, who subsequently found it, and sent dried specimens and seeds to the London Horticultural Society, observes, "It is one of the most graceful of trees in the country it inhabits, varying from 40 ft. to 90 ft in height, and from 6 ft to 16 ft. in the circumference of its trunk. The branches are widely spreading, the bark rough and brown, the wood soft, but beautifully veined. It contains, perhaps, as much sap as any species, except A. sacchárinum; but the sap is not used for making sugar by the natives. The flowers are yellow, and very fragrant, appearing in April and May. Mr. Douglas prophetically adds, "It will, at some future time, constitute one of our most ornamental forest trees in England.” (Hooker's Fl. Bor. Amer., vol. i. p. 112.) Specimens of the timber, which were sent home by Mr. Douglas, exhibit a grain scarcely inferior in beauty to the finest satin wood. The largest specimen of the tree is in the garden of the London Horticultural Society; where, in 1835, it had attained the height of 25 ft. It is propagated by layers in the garden of the Society; and at Messrs Loddiges's, and the annual shoots from them are often from 6 ft. to 10 ft. in length; so that there can be no doubt of the tree being one of very rapid growth. This magnificent species cannot be too warmly recommended to the attention of planters, as it is perfectly hardy, and well suited for general cultivation, both in useful and ornamental plantations, throughout Europe. Plants, in London, cost 2s. 6d. each; and when the tree has once ripened seeds in Britain, plants will be much cheaper. Ger. 6. A. PLATANOI DES L. The Platanus-like, or Norway, Maple. Identification. Lin. Sp., 1496.; Dec. Prod., i. p. 649; Don's Mill., 1. p. 649. Synonymes. Erable plane, or Erable de Norvége, Fr.; spitz Ahorn, or spitz-blättriger Ahorn, Engravings. Duh. Arb., 1. t. 10. f. 1.; Tratt. Arch., 1. t. 4.; Mill. Ic., t. 8. f. 1.; and our fig. 119. in p. 442, 443. Spec. Char., &c. Leaves cordate, smooth, 5-lobed. Lobes acuminated, with a few coarse acute teeth. Corymbs stalked, erectish, and, as well as the fruit, smooth; fruit with divaricated wings. (Don's Mill., i. p. 649.) A middle CHAP. XXII. sized deciduous tree, a native of Europe, from Norway to Switzerland, and also of North America, but not of Britain, flowering in May and June. Introduced in 1683. Height from 40 ft. to 70 ft. Description. A handsome tree of the first rank; in general appearance, at a distance, like the common sycamore; but, on a nearer approach, the leaves are found of a smoother and finer texture. The roots extend considerably both downwards and laterally. The trunk is somewhat shorter than that of the sycamore, seldom exceeding 60 ft. or 70 ft. in height. The bark is green on the young shoots, but it afterwards becomes of a reddish brown, dotted with white points: that of the trunk is brown, and rather cracked. The buds are large and red in autumn, becoming of a still darker red in the course of the winter: those on the points of the shoots are always the largest. The leaves are thin, The leaves are about 5 in. green on both sides, and shining. When the petiole is broken an acrid milky sap issues from it, which coagulates with the air. long, and nearly the same in width. The petioles are longer than the leaves. About the end of October, the leaves become either of a clear or a yellowish The fruits, or red, and then drop off. The flowers appear just before the leaves, near the end of April: they form a short raceme, somewhat corymbose. keys, have their wings yellow. They ripen in September and October; and it is not till the tree has attained the age of nearly 40 years that it produces fertile seeds, though it will flower many years before that period. The rate of growth of this species is considerable. In France, a plant has been known to attain the height of 12 ft. in three years from the seed. In England, when once established, it produces shoots from 18 in. to 3 ft. long every year, till it attains the height of 20 ft. or 30 ft.; which, in favourable situations, it does in 10 years. Varieties. A. p. 2 Lobèlii. Lobel's Platanus-like Maple. Synonymes. A. Lobelii Tenore; A. platanoides Don's Mill., 1. p. 649. Description. The leaves are very slightly heart-shaped, irregularly A. p. 5 aureo variegàtum, the golden variegated-leaved Platanus-like Maple, is described in a synonyme of this variety; which, in the nurseries, is sometimes called the eagle's claw, or hawk's foot, maple. Geography. A native of Europe, from the west coast of Norway to Switzerland, and from France to the eastern boundary of European Russia. Pallas says, it does not occur beyond the Ural Mountains, or in Siberia, but that it is common through all the woods of Russia. We observed it in 1814, in all the woods bordering the public road from Wilna to Mittau, and from Moscow to Galicia. Next to the birch and the trembling poplar, it seemed to us the most abundant tree in the Russian woods. In the north, according to Pallas, it forms a stunted bush; but in the Ukraine it is a lofty tree. History. This species is recorded as having been first cultivated in Britain in the Edinburgh Botanic Garden, by Mr. James Sutherland. It has since been very generally propagated in Britain, and is now to be found in most ornamental plantations made since the days of Miller. The largest trees in the neighbourhood of London are at Purser's Cross and Syon, where they have attained the height of nearly 60 ft. Properties and Uses. The wood, in its young state, is white; but at a more advanced age it becomes grey. In a dry state, it weighs 43 lb. 4 oz. per cubic foot. It is easily worked, takes a fine polish, and absorbs and retains all kinds of colours. By drying it only loses a 24th part of its weight. It is used for all the various purposes of the wood of the common sycamore. From the sap, sugar has been made in Norway, Sweden, and in Lithuania. The German foresters have found that this sap is produced in less abundance than that of the sugar maple, or of the common sycamore; but that it contains more saccharine matter than the sap of the latter species. Some chemists have found that, after boring a hole at the base of the trunk, 35 quarts of sap have been produced in 8 days; and that 95 lb. of this sap have, by evaporation, given 4 lb. of syrup; and that from 80 lb. to 100 lb. of this syrup have given from 4 lb. to 6 lb. of crystallised sugar. After a great quantity of this sap has been drawn off, it begins to get thicker, muddy, and yellow in appearance, bitter in taste, and not productive of syrup. Soil and Situation. To attain a considerable size, the tree ought to be planted in a free, deep, rich soil, not surcharged with moisture; and the situation ought to be low rather than high. It thrives remarkably well on the sea shore on the Baltic, and along the west coast of Norway, and the west coast of Scotland. Propagation and Culture. After the tree has attained a considerable size and age, it produces abundance of fertile seeds in England. It does so at Purser's Cross, at Syon, and various other places. The varieties are propagated by grafting or layering. The seeds, as soon as they are gathered, should be either immediately sown, or mixed with sand or earth, and kept moderately dry till spring. In either case they come up the first year. Accidents and Diseases. The leaves of this species, in common with those of A. Pseudo-Plátanus, and perhaps most of the other species of Acer, are subject to what is commonly called the honey dew, which, from its clamminess in the neighbourhood of the smoke of mineral coal, is apt to attract and retain the particles of soot which are continually floating in the air. In consequence of insects resorting to these leaves, they are frequently blackened with their excrements. In some parts of France this honey dew is called manna. M. Tschoudi says that the manna is produced by the extravasated sap; and that the bees are so fond of it, that it would be worth while to plant the tree in the neighbourhood of places where hives are kept. According to others, the bitterness of the matter of the leaves prevents them from being attacked by insects. Statistics. In the neighbourhood of London, the largest tree of A. platanoides is at Kew, where, in 70 years, it has attained the height of 76 ft.; at Syon, it has attained the height of 64 ft., with a trunk 24 ft. in diameter, and the diameter of the head 64 ft.; at Kenwood there is a tree, 35 years planted, 47 ft. high. In Surrey, at Bagshot Park, a tree, 14 years planted, has attained the height of 25 ft., with a trunk 16 in. in diameter. In Sussex, at West Dean, a tree of the cut-leaved variety, 9 years planted, has attained the height of 26 ft. In Lancashire, at Latham House, a tree, 40 years planted, is 45 ft. high. In Staffordshire, at Teddesley, a tree, 14 years planted, is 28 ft. high. In |