Acer

Acer, of the Aceraceae family, is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs commonly known as maple. The name stemming from the Latin "acris" (sharp), for the hardness of the wood and use as lances in the past.

They are distinguished by opposite arrangement and entire, palmately lobed, or occasionally pinnate leaves. The flowers are regular, pentamerous, and borne in racemes, corymbs, or umbels. The fruits are a pair of long-winged samarass.

Maples are important timbers, syrup sources, and cultivated ornamental plants. Some species have bright autumnal leaf coloring.

Acer is one of the world's top ten branded PC vendors. It owns the largest computer retail chain in Taiwan. Acer's product offering includes desktop and mobile PCs, servers and storage, displays, peripherals, and e-business solutions for business, government, education, and home users.

Multitech, which was founded in 1976, was renamed Acer in 1987. The pan Acer Group employs 39,000 people supporting dealers and distributors in over 100 countries. Revenues reached US$12.9 billion in 2002.