LEGUMINOS^:. CCXXXIII. ACACIA. 



411 



Rusty Acacia. Clt. 1818. Tree 12 to 20 feet. 



147 A. SU'NDRA (D. C. prod. 2. p. 458.) spines stipular, 

 hooked, decurrent at the base ; leaves with about 20 pairs of 

 pinnae, and each pinna bearing about the same number of leaflets, 

 which are linear, obtuse, and glabrous, with a gland at the base 

 of the petiole, and one between each of the 3 outer pairs of pinnae ; 

 spikes axillary, usually solitary, cylindrical ; legumes flat, com- 

 pressed, 2-3-seeded, acuminated at both ends. fj . S. Native 

 of the coast of Coromandel, in woods and on the mountains, 

 Mimosa Siindra, Roxb. cor. 3. t. 225. Acacia Chundra, Willd. 

 spec. 4. p. 1078. Flowers yellow. Stamens 20-25. Allied 

 to A. Catechu. Wood hard, chocolate-coloured. The tree is 

 called Sundra by the Telingas. 



Sundra Acacia. Clt. 1789. Tree 12 to 15 feet. 



148 A. CA'TECHU (Willd. spec. 4. p. 1079.) prickles stipular, 

 when young straightish, but at length becoming hooked ; leaves 

 with 10 pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing 40-50 pairs of linear 

 pubescent leaflets, with 1 depressed gland at the base of .the 

 petiole, and 2 or 3 between the extreme pairs of pinnaa ; spikes 

 cylindrical, solitary, twin, or tern, axillary. \ . S. Native of 

 the East Indies. Mimosa Catechu, Lin. fil. suppl. 439. Roxb. 

 cor. 2. t. 175. Flowers yellow, 5-cleft, with about 20 stamens. 

 Legume lanceolate, flat, 3-G-seeded. This is a small tree, about 

 a foot in diameter, covered with brown bark. The drug known 

 by the name Catechu (from cafe, a tree, and chu, juice) is the 

 produce of this tree. In Bengal the extract of catechu, which 

 was formerly termed, with peculiar impropriety, Japan earth, is 

 principally prepared from the external coloured part of the wood, 

 by decoction, evaporation, and exsiccation in summer. But 

 catechu is also prepared in India from other species of Acacia, 

 and even from the wood, bark, and fruits of other genera, as 

 the Nauclea Gdmb/r. In Mysore it is chiefly prepared from 

 the nuts of Areca Catechu. Catechu has the appearance of a 

 dried extract of various forms, rounded masses, or cut into 

 squares or lozenges. It is perfectly opaque, and has always an 

 earthy fracture. The Bombay catechu is of an uniform texture, 

 and of a red-brown hue, its specific gravity being generally 

 about 1-39. The extract from Bengal is more friable and less 

 consistent. Its colour is like that of chocolate externally, but 

 when broken its fracture presents streaks of chocolate and of 

 red brown. Its specific gravity is 1-28. Their tastes are pre- 

 cisely similar, being astringent, but leaving in the mouth a sen- 

 sation of sweetness. They do not deliquesce by exposure to 

 the air, and are not fusible. Sir H. Davy states that catechu 

 contains one-half of tannin, 35 per cent, of extractive, C to 8 of 

 mucilage, and 5 to 7 of impurities. Chemists have not succeeded 

 in presenting the astringent principle in a state of purity. In 

 medicine catechu is one of the most convenient and powerful 

 astringents we possess, and may be exhibited in every case 

 where astringents are indicated. It is particularly serviceable 

 in diarrhoea, in hoarseness from relaxation of the fauces, ulcers, 

 and aphthae in the mouth, and in excoriations, with lymphatic 

 exudation. 



Catechu Acacia. Clt. 1790. Tree 20 to 40 feet. 



149 A. SUBTILIFOLIA (H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 6. p. 

 268.) spines stipular, nearly erect ; leaves with 5-10 pairs of 

 pinnae, each pinna bearing about 30-45 pairs of linear leaflets, 

 which are puberulous beneath ; petioles bearing 1 gland in the 

 middle and one at the top of the rachis ; spikes cylindrical, so- 

 litary ; legumes oblong, unarmed. Tj . S. Native of New 

 Granada, on the banks of the river Chota. Stamens 10, free. 



Subtile-leaved Acacia. Tree. 



150 A. FASCICULA'TA (Kunth, mim. 75. t. 23. nov. gen. amer. 

 6. p. 267.) prickles scattered or twin, straight; leaves with 15 

 pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing 9-14 pairs of obliquely oblong 

 leaflets ; petioles glandless, rather prickly, and are as well as the 



branchlets pubescent ; spikes cylindrical, fasciculately panicied. 

 J; . S. Native of Mexico, near Guanaxuato. Flowers white, 

 5-clcft, octandrous or decandrous. Legume unknown. 

 Fascicled-spiked Acacia. Tree. 



151 A. VIRIDIFLORA (Kunth, mim. 81. t. 25. nov. gen. amer. 

 C. p. 209.) prickles recurved ; leaves with 6-15 pairs of pinnae, 

 each pinna bearing 15-35 pairs of linear-oblong leaflets, which 

 are puberulous beneath as well as the petioles, which are fur- 

 nished with 1 gland at the base, and 2 or 3 along the rachis ; 

 spikes cylindrical, solitary. T; . S. Native of South America, 

 in the province of Bracamora, near St. Felipe. Flowers greenish- 

 white, 5-cleft. Stamens 10, free. Legume unknown. 



Green-fomered Acacia. Clt. 1823. Shrub 4 to 6 feet. 



152 A. CA'FFRA (Willd. spec. 4. p. 1078.) prickles stipular, 

 twin, incurved ; leaves with 5-10 pairs of pinnae, each pinna 

 bearing 20-30 pairs of lanceolate-linear, obtuse, glabrous leaf- 

 lets, with a depressed gland at the base of the petiole ; spikes 

 cylindrical, axillary. Tj . G. Native of the Cape of Good 

 Hope. Mimosa Caffra, Thumb, prod. 92. fl. cap. 433. Le- 

 gumes linear-lanceolate. 



Caffrarian Acacia. Clt. 1800. Tree 12 to 20 feet. 



153 A. POLYACA'NTHA (Willd. spec. 4. p. 1079.) prickles 

 stipular, dilated; leaves with 10 pairs of pinnae, each pinna 

 bearing 30-40 pairs of linear, obtuse, ciliated leaflets, with a 

 gland both at the base and apex of the common petiole, which 

 is prickly beneath ; spikes cylindrical, twin, axillary. T? . S. 

 Native of the East Indies. Mimosa spinosissima, Poir. suppl. 1. 

 p. 78. 



Many-spmed Acacia. Tree. 



154 A. STELLA'TA (Willd. spec. 4. p. 1078.) prickles stipular, 

 recurved ; leaves with 1 pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing 1 3 

 pairs of oblong leaflets, which are obtuse at both ends ; petioles 

 bearing 2 or 3 recurved prickles at the origin of each pinna ; 

 racemes of flowers compound, f; . G. Native of Arabia Felix, 

 on Mount Kurma. Mimosa stellata, Forsk. descript. 177. 

 Vahl. symb. 1. p. 81. Petals 5. Stamens 10. Legume com- 

 pressed, lanceolate, membranous. 



Starry Acacia. Tree. 



155 A. VELUTINA (D. C. prod. 2. p. 459.) prickles petiolar, 

 scattered, hooked; leaves with 11 pairs of pinnae, each pinna 

 bearing 25-35 pairs of oblong, linear leaflets, which are pubes- 

 cent as well as the petioles, peduncles, and flowers ; petiole 

 furnished with a gland at the base, and one between each of the 

 two extreme pairs of pinnae. T? . S. Native of Brazil. Corolla 

 5-furrowed, pubescent. Stamens numerous. Legume unknown. 



Velvety Acacia. Tree. 



156 A. ATAXACA'NTHA (D. C. prod. 2. p. 459.) prickles 

 hooked, scattered in a loose manner along the branches and pe- 

 tioles ; leaves with 6-8 pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing 20 - 

 30 pairs of linear, ciliated leaflets, with an oblong gland on the 

 petiole, both between the lower and upper pair of pinnae ; sti- 

 pulas lanceolate, dilated on the outside at the base ; spikes twin, 

 axillary, cylindrical. fy . S. Native on the banks of the rivers 

 Senegal and Gambia. Stamens 20-25. Legumes unknown. 



Unorderly-spined Acacia. Shrub 6 to 8 feet. 



157 A. MACROSTA'CHYA (Reichb. in Sieb.pl. exsic. seneg. no. 

 44.) prickles hooked, scattered without any order along the 

 branches ; stipulas foliaceous, large, rather reniform, acute ; 

 leaves with 20 pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing 20-30 pairs 

 of linear, villous, and ciliated leaflets ; spikes of flowers elon- 

 gated, and are as well as the petioles and branches velvety. 



Tj . S. Native of Senegal and Gambia, where we have seen it 

 and the preceding species growing in plenty about Bathurst, 

 near the mouth of the river. Spikes of flowers clothed with 

 hoary tomentum, 3 inches long. Flowers glabrous, 5-cleft. 

 Long-spiked Acacia. Shrub 8 to 10 feet. 

 3 o2 



