PLANTS OF PALESTINE. 137 



korrida ; and a horrid shrub it is in the classical sense 

 of the word, for it bristles with great white shining 

 spines six inches long and more. These ivory stilettos 

 are as sharp as any needle, and it is easy to under- 

 stand that a man or an animal dashed against this 

 shrub would be badly injured if not killed. The 

 Acacia horrida is not a favourite in the Riviera 

 gardens. I know of only one specimen in Nice. 



The Acacias derive their name from these armed 

 plants, for the syllable "ac" implies something sharp 

 or keen. So the " Ac-anthus " is thought to have 

 been some prickly plant (the botanical Acanthus is 

 found in most gardens here). Compare also the 

 Latin " ac-us " a needle, " ac-utus " sharp, " ac-ies " 

 line of battle, " ac-etum " vinegar. 



Many of the Australian Acacias are leafless. I do 

 not mean to say that their twigs are bare like an Oak 

 or an Ash in winter. Nothing of the sort. They are 

 plentifully provided ail the year round with organs 

 that look exactly like leaves, and serve the same 

 purpose. These leaflike organs are really flattened 

 leaf stalks (phyllodes). Some of the Acacias in the 

 Riviera gardens afford admirable illustrations of this 

 theory. You will find species which produce two 

 sorts of leaves (I speak unbotanically), the plain, 

 narrow, uncut variety these are phyllodes ; and 

 also similar ones surmounted by the regular feathery 

 twice pinnate leaf. This peculiarity is sketched on 

 page 119 of Lubbock's interesting little volume on 

 " Flowers, Fruits, and Leaves." 



Our English trees, this writer remarks, may be 

 said, as a general rule, to be glad of as much sun as 

 they can get ; but in tropical countries some plants 



