105 



"Drooping foliage. Grows on ridge as well as in valley; some leaves 

 rather viscid. Attunga, 12 miles north-west of Tamworth. No. 656 " 

 <R. II. Cambage): WariaMn, Xo. 11 (Rev. H. M. R. Rupp). 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE 149. 

 Acacia unlit-ina. Lindl. ; var. rari'anfi, Benth. 



A. Flowering twig. 



r.. Pod. 



c. Portion of valve showing seed with folded funiole. 



D. Seed (slightly magnified) with funiole extended. 



E. Broad phyllode from Coolabah. 

 v. Flower-head. 



o. Individual bud. 

 H Flower. 



/. Flower, opened out. showing (a) Calyx, (&) Corolla, (c) 

 Stamens, (d) Pistil. 



Acacia aneura, F.v.M. 



THE MULGA. 



Botanical Name. Aneura, from two Greek words a, not, and neuron, a 

 nerve in allusion to the veins or nerves of the leaves (phyllodes), ''with- 

 out conspicuous nerves, but finely and obscurely striate under a lens." 



Vernacular Name. " Mulga," the chief ingredient of Mulga scrub, so 

 called from the Mulga, or long, narrow shield of wood made by the 

 aborigines out of Acacia wood. 



Aboriginal Name. " Mulkathandra " is the name given to the seeds by 

 the Dieyerie tribe, of Cooper's Creek, according to Gason. (Quoted by 

 Brough Smyth, Aboriginals of Victoria, i, 223.) " Malka " of certain Lake 

 jRyre tribes (Howitt and Siebert). 



Leaves. The leaves, or, rather, phyllodia for, in strictness, they are not 

 true leaves, but structurally expansions of the leaf-stalks form excellent food 

 for stock; in fact, pome people call the plant the "king of fodders," and 'it 

 has been so much appreciated that it is now scarce in many districts where 

 'it, was once plentiful. Sometimes this plant is exempted in certain districts 

 from the operations of licenses to cut timber. It is a matter for regret that 

 so valuable a fodder plant should require to be cut for timber at all, and 

 it is to be hoped that increased vigilance will be shown on the part of 

 homestead lessees and others, in their own interests, in conserving the 

 Mulga. Mulga should never be cut down, except when absolutely necessary 

 it should only be pollarded or lopped; and if these operations be per- 

 formed by careful men no real harm to the tree will result. One reason 

 why the tree is becoming extinct in some areas is because the seedlings are 

 eaten out by stock. This is a matter for regret, and, of course, the only way 

 of guarding against this is to protect -as many of the seedlings as possible 

 -until they are able to take care of themselves. It does not appear to be 

 known to some dwellers of the more highly-favoured coast districts that in 

 some seasons in parts of the West there is practically no grass at any period 

 of the year, and that stock not only feed on scrub-plants such as the Mulga, 

 but actually thrive thereon. 



Note that there is a normal or Broad-leaved Mulga, and a Narrow-leaved 

 Mulga, but that there is no botanical difference between them. At the same 

 time, recent investigation has shown that, particularly in Western Australia, 

 there are other Mulgas, recognised by other botanical names. 



