Acer laevigatum Wall.

This tender species, mentioned briefly on page 198, is the senior member of a small group that ranges from the central Himalaya to eastern China. It is a tree with evergreen or semi-persistent unlobed, pinnately veined leaves with conspicuous reticulations; they are mostly oblong or oblong-elliptic, acuminate at the apex, cuneate at the base, to about 6 in. long and 2 in. wide, entire or slightly serrated, green and glabrous on both sides, shortly stalked. The inflorescence is corymbose, and the wings of the fruits are each about 11⁄2 in. long, spreading at an acute angle.

The Chinese relatives of A. laevigatum differ from it in only comparatively minor characters. A. fargesii, described on page 198, is probably to be included in A. fabri Hance of eastern and central China, which is a small tree with less conspicuously net-veined leaves than in A. laevigatum and sometimes with purplish fruits (A. fabri f. rubrocarpum (Metcalf) Rehd.). But A. fabri was included in A. laevigatum by Pax in his monograph.

Another species in this group is A. cordatum Pax, with smaller thinner leaves than in A. laevigatum, cordate at the base, glossy on both sides. Wings of fruits diverging at an obtuse angle. It was described from a specimen collected by Henry in Hupeh.