NAT. ORDER, 



Leguminosae. 



ACACIA PRENSANS. PRICIO^Y ACACIA. 



Class XXIII. PoLYGAMiA. Oidtr I. Monoecia. 



Gen. Char. Stem climbing, erect, stout. Leaves feathery. Petioles 

 velvety, or downy. Leaflets numerous. 



.^e. Char. Stijmles deciduous. Peduncles unarmed. Flowers 

 sessile. Cabjx pubescent, shining, cylindrical. Petals four to 

 six. 

 This is a climbing shrub, of external, rapid, and luxuriant growth, 

 and remarkably elegant and delicate foliage ; the stem is erect and 

 stout, but not thicker tiian the arm, and covered with a dark-brown 

 bark ; the branches are smooth, round, and ash-colored below ; ex- 

 cessively elongated, climbing, and clinging tenaciously to every thing 

 ^vithin their reach by their copious, small hooked prickles, of extra- 

 ordinary rapid growtii, quickly reaching to the top of any lofty tree 

 nithin their neighborhood, which if unchecked, they soon, by their 

 luxuriance, completely over-run ; sulcated towards the ends, which 

 with all other parts of the plant, while young, are densely but minute- 

 ly pubescent, or rather velvety, and of a rich tawny, or golden ferrug- 

 inous color ; tlie leaves are very beautiful, and feathery, of a bright 

 green, subdeflexed, and five or six inches long ; petioles about an 

 inch long, with a sugary gland below the middle, velvety or downy 

 like the rachides, which have from two to four similar glands be- 

 tween the ultimate pairs of pinnce — the lowest however, placed 

 always a little below the origin of the pinnce ; the petioles are gen- 



Vol. iv.— 146. 



