LEGUMINOSiE. CCXXXIII. Acacia. 



411 



. Rusty Acacia. Clt, 1818. Tree 12 to 20 feet. branchlets pubescent ; spikes cylindrical, fasciculately panicled. 



147 A. Su'ndra (D. C. prod. 2, p. 458.) spines stipular, Tj . S. Native of Mexico, near Guanaxuato. Flowers white, 



hooked, decurrent at the base; leaves with about 20 pairs of 5-cleft, octandrous or decandrous. Legume unknown. 



pinnae, and each pinna bearing about the same number of leaflets, 

 which are linear, obtuse, and glabrous, with a gland at the base 



FascicIcd'Sipi]<.ed Acacia. Tree. 



151 A. viRiDiFLouA (Kunth, mim. 81. t. 25. nov. gen. amer. 



of the petiole, and one between each of the 3 outer pairs of pinnae; 6. p. 2G9.) prickles recurved ; leaves with 6-15 pairs of pinnae, 



spikes axillary, usually solitary, cylindrical ; legumes flat, com- each pinna bearing 15-35 pairs of linear-oblong leaflets, which 



pressed, 2-3-seeded, acuminated at both ends. I2 • ^* Native are puberulous beneath as well as the petioles, which are fur- 



of the coast of Coromandel, in woods and on the mountains, nished with 1 gland at the base, and 2 or 3 along the rachis ; 



Mimosa Sundra, Roxb. cor. 3. t. 225. Acacia Chundra, Wilkl. spikes cylindrical, solitary. T2 . S. Native of South America, 



spec. 4. p. 1078. Flowers yellow. Stamens 20-25- Allied in the province of Bracamora, near St. Felipe. Flowers greehish- 

 to J. Catechu. Wood hard, chocolate-coloured. The tree is 

 called Sundra by the Telingas. 

 Sundra Acacia. Clt, 1789. Tree 12 to 15 feet. 



white, 5-cleft. Stamens 10, free. Legume unknown. 

 Green-Jlowered Acacia. Clt. 1823. Shrub 4 to 6 feet. 

 152 A. Ca'ffra (Willd. spec. 4. p. 1078.) prickles stipular, 



148 A. Ca'techu (Willd. spec. 4. p. 1079.) prickles stipular, twin, incurved; leaves with 5-10 pairs of piimae, each pinna 



bearing 20-30 pairs of lanceolate-linear, obtuse, glabrous leaf- 

 petiole ; spikes 



of Good 



when young straightish, but at length becoming hooked ; leaves 

 with 10 pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing 40-50 pairs of linear 



pubescent leaflets, with 1 depressed gland at the base of the cylindrical, axillary. T2 • 



lets, with a depressed gland at the base of the 



G. Native of the 



Cape 



petiole, and 2 or 3 between the extreme pairs of pinnaa ; spikes 



Native of 



.cylindrical, solitary, twin, or tern, axillary, 

 the East Indies. 



T?.S. 



cor. 2 



t. 175. 



Mimosa Catechu, Lin. fil. suppl. 439. Roxb. 



Hope. Mimosa CafFra, Thunb. prod. 92. fl. cap. 433. Le- 

 gumes linear-lanceolate. 



Clt. 1800, Tree 12 to 20 feet. 



Flowers yellow, 5-cleft, with about 20 stamens. 

 Legume lanceolate, flat, 3-6-sceded. This is a small tree, about 

 a foot in diameter, covered with brown bark. The drug known 

 by the name Catechu (from cate^ a tree, and chuy juice) is the 

 produce of this tree. In Bengal the extract of catechu^ which 

 was formerly termed, with peculiar impropriety, Japan earthy is 

 principally prepared from the external coloured part of the wood, 

 by decoction, evaporation, and exsiccation in summer. But 

 catechu is also prepared in India from other species of Acacia^ 

 and even from the wood, bark, and fruits of other genera, as 

 the Nauclea Gdmhir. 



Caffrarian Acacia. 

 153 A, polyaca'ntha 



(Willd. 

 leaves with 10 



spec. 4. p. 1079.) prickles 

 pairs of pinnae, each pinna 



stipular, dilated ; 

 bearing 3D-40 pairs of linear, obtuse, ciliated leaflets, with a 

 gland both at the base and apex of the common petiole, which 

 is prickly beneath; spikes cylindrical, twin, axillary. 1; . S. 

 Native of the East Indies. 



Catechu has the appearance of a 



In Mysore it is chiefly prepared from 

 tlie nuts of ^reca Catechu. 



dried extract of various forms, rounded masses, or cut into 

 squares or lozenges. It is perfectly opaque, and has always an 

 earthy fracture. The Bombay catechu is of an uniform texture, 

 and of a red-brown hue, its specific gravity being generally 

 about 1-39. The extract from Benp-al is more friable and less 



* O 



consistent. Its colour is like that of chocolate externally, but 

 when broken its fracture presents streaks of chocolate and of 

 red brown. Its specific gravity is 1-28. Their tastes are pre- 

 cisely similar, being astringent, but leaving in the mouth a sen- 

 sation of sweetness. They do not deliquesce by exposure to 

 the air, and are not fusible. 



Sir H. Davy states that catechu two extreme pairs of pinnae. \ . S. 



contains one-half of tannin, 35 per cent, of extractive, 6 to 8 of 

 [nucilage, and 5 to 7 of impurities. Chemists have not succeeded 

 Jn presenting the astringent principle in a state of purity. In 

 Medicine catechu is one of the most convenient and powerful 

 astnngents we possess, and may be exhibited in every case 

 where astringents are indicated. It is particularly serviceable 

 in diarrhoea, in hoarseness from relaxation of the fauces, ulcers, 

 and aphthae in the mouth, and in excoriations, with lymphatic 

 exudation. 



Catechu Acacia. Clt. 1790. Tree 20 to 40 feet. 



149 A. suBTiLiFoLiA (H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 6. p. 

 "p8.) spines stipular, nearly erect ; leaves with 5-10 pairs of 

 pinnae, each pinna bearing about 30-45 pairs of linear leaflets, 



Mimosa spinobissima, Poir. suppl. 1. 



p. 78. 



Many-spined Acacia. Tree. 



154 A. stella'ta (Willd. spec. 4. p. 1078.) prickles stipular, 

 recurved; leaves with 10 pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing 13 

 pairs of oblong leaflets, which are obtuse at both ends ; petioles 

 bearing 2 or 3 recurved prickles at the origin of each pinna ; 

 racemes of flowers compound. Tp . G. Native of Arabia Felix, 

 on Mount Kurma. Mimosa stellata, Forsk. descript. 177, 

 Vahl. symb. 1. p. 81. Petals 5. Stamens 10. Legume com- 

 pressed, lanceolate, membranous. 



Starry Acacia. Tree. 



155 A. VELUTiNA (D. C. prod. 2. p. 459.) prickles petiolar, 

 scattered, hooked; leaves with 11 pairs of pinnae, each pinna 

 bearing 25-35 pairs of oblong, linear leaflets, which are pubes- 

 cent as well as the petioles, peduncles, and flowers ; petiole 

 furnished with a gland at the base, and one between each of the 



" ' ' ^ Native of Brazil. Corolla 



Legume unknown. 



5-furrowed, pubescent. Stamens numerous. 

 Velvety Acacia. Tree. 



156 A. ataxaca'ntiia (D. C. prod. 2. p. 459.) prickles 

 hooked, scattered in a loose manner along the branches and pe- 

 tioles ; leaves with 6-8 pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing 20- 

 30 pairs of linear, ciliated leaflets, with an oblong gland on the 

 petiole, both between the lower and upper pair of pinnas ; sti- 

 pulas lanceolate, dilated on the outside at the base ; spikes twin, 

 axillary, cylindrical. ^2 • S. Native on the banks of the rivers 

 Senegal and Gambia. Stamens 20-25. Legumes unknown. 



Unorderly-spincd Acacia. 



157 A. macrosta'chya (Reichb. in Sieb. pi. exsic. seneg. no. 

 44.) prickles hooked, scattered without any order along the 



rather reniform, acute ; 



Shrub 6 to 8 feet. 



^hjch are puberulous beneath; petioles bearing 1 gland in the branches; stipulas foliaceous, large, 



middle and one at the top of the rachis; spikes cylindrical ' '^^ "'^ ---:-^ ^r «: „,.«i. 



"tarv: lpfTi,»v,«^ ^ui J T^ c xro»,\r^ «r 



^2. S. 



so- 

 Native of New 



Stamens 10, free. 



lUary ; legumes oblong, unarmed, ^i . 

 ^r^ada, on the banks of the river Chota. 



Subtile-leaved Acacia. Tree. 



150 A. fascicula'ta (Kunth, mim. 75. t. 23. nov. gen. amer. 

 ^•jp. 267.) prickles scattered or twin, straight; leaves with 15 



pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing 9-14 pairs o 



Jeaflets ; petioles glandless, rather prickly, and 



leaves with 20 pairs of pinnae, each, pinna bearing 20-30 pairs 

 of linear, villous, and ciliated leaflets ; spikes of flowers elon- 

 gated, and are as well as the petioles and branches velvety. 



S. 



Native of Senegal and Gambia, where we have seen it 



the preceding species growing in plenty about Bathurst, 



near the mouth of the river. Spikes of flowers clothed with 



and 



f obliquely oblong hoary tomentum, S inches long. Flowers glabrous, 5-cleft. 



are as well as the 



Long-spiked Acacia. Sl^rub 8 to 10 feet. 



3 q2 



d 



