(specific gravity 0.8). Used only for fuel in 

 Puerto Rico because of the small size but elsewhere 

 serving for tool handles and farm implements. 



The shrubs are occasionally cultivated around 

 houses and in gardens as ornamentals and in India 

 foi- hedges. 



One of tlie jn-incipal products of this species is 

 tlie perfume distilled from the flowers, known 

 commercially as "cassie flowers."' In southern 

 Europe tlie shrubs are cultivated for this purpose. 

 Likewise, in tropical America the flowers, after 

 drying in the shade, are placed between linens to 

 perfume them or put in clothes cabinets. The 

 flowers are visited by bees. The leaves and pods 

 are browsed by livestock. The bark and astringent 

 pods, which are high in tannin content, are used 

 in tanning, and the pods also in making ink and a 

 black dye. The flowers, green fruits, bark, roots, 

 and leaves have also been employed in local reme- 

 dies. Mucilage can be prepared from tlie gum 

 which exudes from the trunk and which resembles 

 gum arable, obtained from an African species of 

 the same genus. The sticky juice of tlie pods has 

 served to mend broken china. 



In thickets and forests in the dry coastal and 

 dry limestone regions of Puerto Rico. Also occa- 

 sionally planted in gardens. Also in Vieques, St. 

 Croix, St. Thomas, St. John, Tortola, and Virgin 

 Gorda. 



Public forests. — Guanica, Maricao, Susiia. 



R.\XGE. — Widely distributed in tropical Amer- 

 ica and spread by cultivation and naturalization. 

 Southwestern border of United States (Texas, 

 Arizona, and California) and Mexico to Chile and 

 Argentina. Also through "West Indies from Ba- 

 hamas and Cuba to Trinidad and Tobago and 

 Curasao and Aruba. Naturalized in southeastern 

 United States ( Florida to Louisiana) . Also natu- 

 ralized in Old World tropics. 



This species spreads rapidly and may appear to 

 be native in areas where it was brought in many 

 years ago. In most of the West Indies perhaps 

 introduced and naturalized. However, it has been 

 accepted as native in Cuba. The type botanical 

 specimen was collected in the Dominican Republic. 



Othek C0M3I0N N.vMEs. — caslia, cassia (Virgin 

 Islands) ; aroma, aromo (Spanish) ; cambron (Do- 

 minican Republic) ; aroma amarilla (Cuba) ; 



huisache, quisache, binorama, subinche (Mexico) ; 

 espino bianco, espinal, subin (Guatemala) ; cachito 

 de aromo, espmo, subin (Honduras) ; espino 

 bianco, espino ruco (El Salvador) ; cachito de 

 aromo (Nicaragua) ; pela, cuji cimarron, uiia de 

 cabra (Colombia) ; cuji aromo, pauji (Venezuela) ; 

 huaranga (Peru); espino bianco (Bolivia); es- 

 pinillo (Uruguay, Argentina) ; sweet acacia, cas- 

 sie, huisache (United States) ; aroma, cashia, 

 opoponax (Bahamas) ; cassie-flower (Jamaica) ; 

 cuntich, cashaw (British Honduras) ; casha, cassie 

 (St. Barthelemy) ; acacia odorant (Guadeloupe) ; 

 casha (Dutch West Indies) ; esponjeira (Brazil). 



Botanical synonym. — VachfllM fdmesiart/i 

 (L.) Wight & Am. 



A few other species of acacia, characterized by 

 twice pinnate leaves and mostly paired spines, are 

 native or introduced trees and shrubs. Acacia 

 nudosa or spineless acacia {Acaciu m.uricata (L.) 

 Willd.) is a small tree with no spines, leaflets 8-16 

 pairs on each axis, and many small whitish flowers 

 along an axis. 



Suma-catechu {Anic/a mmia (Roxb.) Kurz*), 

 an Old World tree introduced on St. Croix, has 

 leaflets 10-40 pairs on each axis and small whitish 

 flowers along an axis. 



The others have small yellow flowers in balls. 

 Tamarindo silvestre or steel acacia (Acacm niacra- 

 canfha Humb. & Bonpl. ; synonyms A. macracan- 

 fholdex Bert., Poponux macraeanthoides (Bert.) 

 Britton & Rose), of the Virgin Islands, has leaf- 

 lets 15-40 pairs on each axis and pods somewhat 

 flattened. 



Twisted acacia or cassia {Acacia tortuosa (L.) 

 Willd.; synonym Poponctx tortuosa (L.) Britton 

 & Rose), of the Virgin Islands, has leaflets 10-20 

 jjairs on each axis and pods nearly cylindrical. 



Goma arabiga or gum-arabic (Acacia, nilotica 

 (L.) Delile*), from Africa, is sometimes planted 

 for ornament and is reported to be naturalized 

 locally. It has 10-30 pairs of leaflets on each axis 

 and narrow flattened pods narrowed between the 

 seeds. 



Anegada acacia {Acacia anegadensis Britton; 

 synonym Fishlochia avegadensis (Britton) Brit- 

 ton & Rose), known only from the island of Ane- 

 gada, has leaves with only 1 pair of lateral axes, 

 each with 1 or 2 pairs of leaflets. 



LEGUME FAMILY (LEGUMINOSAE) 



MIMOSA SUBFAMILY (MIMOSOIDEAE; MIMOSACEAE) 



59. Peronias, jumbie-bead Adenanthera pavonina L* 



This introduced tree, locally naturalized, is iden- 

 tified by: (1) the large twice pinnate (bipinnate) 

 leaves 1-2 feet or more in length, composed of nu- 

 merous oblong thin leaflets rounded at both ends 

 and with a tiny point at apex; (2) the erect nar- 

 row flower clusters 4-7 inches long, containing nu- 

 merous crowded, small, pale yellow flowers 14 inch 

 across; and (3) the shiny scarlet lens-shaped seeds 



144 



% inch in diameter and nearly i/4 irich thick, borne 

 in pods 6-10 inches long. 



A medium-sized deciduous tre« to 40 feet high 

 and 11/0 feet in trunk diameter, with spreading 

 crown. The brown bark is smoothish with many 

 small fissures. Inner bark is light brown. Twigs 

 are stout and green. 



