ACACIA FROM WESTERN AUSTRALIA 99 



o'3 cm., blackish brown ; funicle flattened, thrown into numerous 

 short folds, forming a large pale yellow aril under the seed. (Uaroo, 

 Ashburton River, N.W.) 



Acacia aciphylla, Benth. — As the pod has been only imperfectly 

 described, a few notes are here given : — Pod shortly stipitate, linear, 

 terete, slightly contracted between the seeds, with an obtuse more or 

 less hooked apex, max. length 5*6 cm. by 0"i5 cm. broad. Seeds 

 longitudinal, linear-oblong, brown ; funicle slender, thickened and 

 repeatedly folded below seed, and forming a white cup-shaped 

 membranous aril embracing its base. (Kununoppin. F. E. 

 Victor.) 



Acacia ephedroides, Benth. — Pod on a stalk of 3-4 mm., 

 linear, flat, obtuse or bluntly hooked at top, length 6-5 cm., breadth 

 over seeds o'25 cm., valves coriaceous, thickened along margins, 

 contracted between seeds, light brown, veined on surface. Seeds 

 longitudinal, narrow-ovate, 3 mm. in length, smooth, brown, funicle 

 forming a nmnber of large folds and expanding into a large white 

 membranous aril below the seed. (Kununoppin. F. E. Victor.) 



Acacia Stereophylla, Aleissn. — This specimen agrees perfectly 

 with the description of ^. stereophylla as given by Bentham (" Fl. 

 Aus.," ii. 404) as well as by Meissner himself (''PI. Preiss," ii. 203), 

 but as its fruit does not appear to have been hitherto met with, a 

 description of the pod is here given. 



Pod shortly stipitate; flat, straight, oblong-linear, bluntly 

 mucronate, obscurely reticulate, valves chartaceous, light brown, 

 slightly thickened along margins, 1-2 '5 cm. in length by o-3-o'4 

 cm. broad. Seeds longitudinal, ovate, turgid, brown, smooth and 

 shining, at most 0-25 cm. by o'i5 cm. ; funicle very slender in lower 

 half, but folded and thickened above, forming a large membranous 

 aril, as in A acuminata. (Kununoppin. F. E. Victor.) 



E. Pritzel has come to the conclusion that A. cibaria, F. v. M., is 

 really the plant known as A. stereophylla, but this decision is 

 evidently not based on an examination of the original or any other 

 specimens of A. stereophylla, but on the published description only. 

 A. cibaria (the description of which is not available here) is believed 

 to have all the characters of A. stereophylla as described, and there- 

 fore is the same species. Pritzel, however, describes the fruit of bis 

 plant, and finding it resembles that of A. xylocarpa, places it— that 

 is, A. cibaria or stereophylla — near that species, instead of next to 

 A. acuminata, of which Bentham thought it might prove to be a 

 marked variety. The fruit of our specimen, however, confirms the 

 close affinity between A. stereophylla and A. acuminata, as pointed 

 out by Bentham. There are several varieties of A. acuminata met 

 with in the inland districts, but their pods have not been described ; 

 it is probable they may with A. stereophylla form a group showing 

 affinity in all details with the typical A. acuminata. 



