A 64-year-old man has had recurring nasal hemorrhages following surgery to remove nasal polyps. To control the bleeding, the surgeon is considering ligating the primary aerial supply to the nasal mucosa. This aery is a direct branch of which of the following aeries?

The major source of blood supply to the nasal mucosa is the sphenopalatine aery, which is the terminal branch of the maxillary aery. The sphenopalatine aery enters the nasal cavity from the pterygopalatine fossa by passing through the sphenopalatine foramen in the lateral wall of the nasal cavity. The facial aery is a direct branch of the external carotid aery. It provides most of the blood supply to the superficial face. The superficial temporal aery is a terminal branch of the external carotid aery. The other terminal branch is the maxillary aery. The superficial temporal aery provides blood supply to the temporal region and the lateral poion of the scalp. The superior labial aery is a branch of the facial aery. The superior labial aery provides blood supply to the upper lip. It has a septal branch that provides some of the blood supply to the anterior poion of the septal mucosa of the nasal cavity. However, this is not the major blood supply to the nasal cavity.