164 DESCRIPTION OF AN APPARENTLY NEW ACACIA FROM N.S.W. 



When first obtained in flower this species was placed pro- 

 visionally with A. lunata, but the pods had not then been received. 

 When these were obtained it was at once evident that they were 

 not the lunata pods described in the Flora Australiensis, as the 

 seeds are not " close to the upper suture," which distinguishes it 

 also from the immediate congeners of A. lunata, viz., A. decora and 

 A. buxijolia. The position of the seeds in A. lunata as stated by 

 Bentham is confirmed by Baron von Mueller (Key to the System 

 of Victorian Plants), who, at page 191 of that work, states "seeds 

 close along the anterior margins of the fruit." 



These two great authorities naturally give prominence to the 

 position of the seed in defining A. lunata, and it is hardly probable 

 that the pods were wrongly matched. There therefore seems no 

 alternative but to give the Acacia (as defined by us) specific rank. 



We realise the responsibility of adding to the already long list 

 of specific names of Acacias, but the position appears to be this: — 



1. Is the Acacia lunata of Sieber correctly described in such an 

 important matter as the pods and seeds? 



2. If not, can the description be amended so as to allow our 

 description to replace Sieber's for this species % 



3. We think that, if the description be imperfect to the extent 

 suggested, there is no alternative but to define our plant as a 

 distinct species. For it we therefore propose the name Acacia 

 neglecta. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE. 



Fig. \. — Expanded flower. 



Fig. 2.— Pistil. 



Fig. 3.— Fruit. 



Fig. 4. — Seed shown in situ. 



All enlarged excejDt the pod. 



