422 FLORA OF MADRAS. [Acacia. 



83. Acacia, Willd. 



Trees or erect or climbing shrubs, usually armed. Leaves 

 bipinnate, the pinnae even-pinnate; leaflets usually small, opposite ; 

 leaves sometimes transformed into phyllodes; stipules various, 

 often spinescent ; stipels 0. Flowers small, hermaphrodite or poly- 

 gamous, usually 5-merous, in globose heads or cylindric spikes ; 

 peduncles axillary, solitary or fascicled or in terminal panicles ; 

 bracts 1 or 2, on the peduncle; bracteoles 1 to each flower, 

 spathulate or subpeltate. Calyx campanulate, shortly lobed. 

 Petals exserted, more or less united, rarely free. Stamens in- 

 definite, free or very shortly connate at base ; anthers small. 

 Ovary Sessile or stalked, 2-many-ovuled ; style filiform ; stigma 

 small, terminal. Pod variable, ligulate or oblong, flat and dry 

 or rarely turgid or coriaceous, continuous or septate within but 

 not disarticulating. Seeds transverse or longitudinal, usually 

 ovate or compressed ; funicle often long and conspicuous. 

 4 Erect trees or shrubs with stipular spines, and without prickles: 

 Flowers in globose heads, the peduncles 2-bracteate : 

 Flower-heads on axillary peduncles : 



Pod grey-downy, compressed, deeply indented 011 both sides 

 between the seeds ; flower-heads '5 in. in diam., peduncle 

 bracteate above the middle ; leaves 2-4 in. long with 4-9 pairs 

 of pinnae; leaflets linear-oblong, obtuse, '2 in. long; spines 

 straight, large ones slender, white, up to 2 in. long...l. arabica^ 

 Pod cylindric, turgid, usually curved: 

 Peduncles bracteate at the apex : 



Pod 2-3 in. long, '5 in. in diam. ; flower-heads '5 in. in 

 diam. ; leaves 1-2 in. long with 4-8 pairs of pinnae ; leaflets 

 linear- oblong, acute, "15-2 in. long, *1 in. broad; spines 



straight, short, rarely over *5 in. long 2. Farnesiana. 



Pod ' 3-4 in. long, '3 in. in diam. ; flower-heads '2 in. in 

 diam. ; leaves 1-1'5 in. long with about 8 pairs pinnae ;. 

 leaflets linear-oblong, obtuse, '12 in. long, '03--04 in. 

 broad ; spines short and slender or stout and strong, up to 



1'5 in. long tortuosa. 



Peduncles bracteate near the base ; pod circinate, about 

 2 in. long, "25 in. in diam.; flower-heads "2 in. in diam.; 

 leaves under 1 in. long with 3-4 pairs of pinnae; leaflets 

 linear-oblong, minute, '06 in. by '01 in., obtuse, glabrous^ 

 spines both short and recurved and long, straight, slender, 

 up to 2 in. long, white with brown spots 3. planifrons. 



