182 



ACACIA 



ACACIA 



5. juncifdlia, Benth. (.4. pinifblia, Benth.). A tall 

 shrub with terete branches, cither glabrous or hirsute: 

 phyll. from slightly flattened to tetragonous, 3-6 in. 

 long or more, with a nerve on each side: fls. 5-merous, 

 either solitary or in pairs, about 40 in a head; petals 

 united; calyx spatulate and ciliate, not half so long as 

 petals; peduncles J^in. long (rarely J^in.): pod flat, 

 with nerve-like margins, 3-4 in. long, less than }in. 



wide; seeds ob- 

 long, longitudinal; 

 funicle half as long 

 as seed, filiform 

 but slightly thick- 

 ened at hilum. F. 

 v. M. Icon. 2:8. 



6. extensa,Lindl. 

 (A. pentxdra, 

 Regel). A shrub 

 5 ft. tall, with 

 more or less 

 winged angular 

 branchlets: phyll. 

 linear-subulate or 

 needle-like, 3-4 in. 

 long (sometimes 

 8), ^in. wide, 

 1-nerved, ending 

 in sharp point; 

 gland Yy-\ in. 

 from base : fls. soli- 

 tary or shortly 

 racemose, 20 in a 

 head, 5-merous; 

 sepals short; pe- 

 duncles J^in. long: 

 pods with nerve- 

 like margins, constricted between the seeds, 24 in. 

 long, i^in. wide; funicle straight and only slightly thick- 

 ened at hilum end; ripe May. Fls. March. 



7. armata, R. Br. (A. undulata, Willd. A. paradoxa, 

 DC. A. furcifera, Lindl. Mimosa paraddxa, Poir.). 

 KANGAROO THORN. Fig. 71. A spreading shrub 8-10 ft. 

 wide, 7-11 ft. tall, with pendent finger-like branchlets: 

 phyll. half-ovate, the straight edge hugging the st., the 

 other edge more or less undulate; nerve excentric, end- 

 ing in a pungent point; stipules reduced to slender 

 spines about J^in. m length: fls. solitary on peduncles 

 %in. long; petals 5; sepals 5, more than one-half 

 length of corolla: pods hairy, straight or slightly curled, 

 in clusters of 2-5 or reduced to 1, 1K-2 in. long, ^in. 

 wide; funicle silvery, as long as seed and enlarged to a 

 cup-shaped aril; ripe Aug. Fls. Feb.-Apr. B.M. 1653. 

 A shrub with breadth often much greater than its height, 

 sometimes 15-20 ft. across, hence suitable for large 

 grounds and roomy corners. Makes a good hedge plant, 

 and is also used to reclaim sand-dunes. It is a good rich 

 green and withstands considerable dust and drought. 

 There is a larger-lvd. form with fissured bark and more 

 straggling habit. The phyll. is greener and more ten- 

 der in texture than the type, and the fls. are larger. 



8. cuneata, Benth. A tall glabrous shrub : phyll. J^ to 

 scarcely 1 in. long, wedge-shaped, truncate at the apex, 

 nerve excentric, ending in sharp point at one angle 

 while the other angle is tipped by a gland; occasionally 

 a faint secondary nerve; stipules setaceous: fls. solitary; 

 peduncles about as long as phyll., 8-15 in a head, 4- 

 merous; petals separate; calyx turbinate, half as long as 

 corolla and with broad lobes: pod hirsute, thick margins, 

 2-3 in. long and Kin- wide. B.R. 1839. -An interesting 

 ornamental species, somewhat resembling A . pravissima. 



9. decipiens, R. Br. (A. dolabrifdrmis, Colla. A. 

 incrassata, Hook. A. bifldra, Paxt.). A shrub either 

 low and bushy or up to 10 or 12 ft. tall, glabrous or rarely 

 hirsute: phyll. triangular or trapezoid, H-%m. long 

 and nearly as broad; principal nerve excentric, ending 



in small point, gland on other angle; the occasional 

 stipules are spinescent: fls. solitary or in pairs, 6-10 in 

 a head: pod thick, hard, much incurved, 1-2 in. long, 

 faYs in. wide, narrowed at each end; seeds longitu- 

 dinal; funicle ending in club-shaped aril. B.M. 1745, 

 3244. The difference between this and A . cuneata seems 

 to lie chiefly in fls. and phyll., which are about as broad 

 as long in A. decipiens, and much longer than broad in 

 A. cuneata, and wedge-shaped. 



10. Meissneri, Lehm. Tall shrub: young branches 

 glabrous, acutely angular: phyll. Yy-\ in. long, J-^-J^in. 

 broad, obovate-oblong or obliquely cuneate, obtuse, or 

 with a small, hooked point: peduncles shorter than the 

 phyll. : pod flat, J^-^in. broad, the margins not thick- 

 ened; seed oblong, longitudinal; funicle very long and 

 much folded, the last fold almost encircling the seed and 

 returning, but thickened only at the end. 



11. lineata, A. Cunn. (A. runciformis, A. Cunn.). A 

 bushy shrub: branches usually pubescent, terete and 

 often slightly resinous: phyll. linear, }^-;^in. long or 

 more, \Yv in. wide, nerve near the margin and ending 

 in small hooked point: fls. solitary, 5-merous, equal to or 

 exceeding the phyll.; sepals distinct, linear-spathulate; 

 peduncles %-)4in. long: pod curved or twisted, Msin. 

 wide; funicle not so long as seed, ending in a clavate 

 fleshy aril. Fls. March. B.M. 3346 (as A. runciformis). 

 This differs from A. acinacea. and A. obliqua in only 

 its narrow phyllodia. Habitat in barren forest grounds 

 in the interior of New South Wales. 



12. obliqua, Cunn. 

 (A. rotundifdlia, 

 Hook.). A drooping 

 shrub, with finger-like 

 branches, angular and 

 slightly pubescent: 

 phyll. obliquely ob- 

 ovate to orbicular, 

 yi-Yzin. long, y^-Ysm. 

 wide; 1 excentric 

 nerve ending in re- 

 curved point; stipules 

 minute; gland, when 

 present, one-third dis- 

 tant from base: fls. 

 5-merous, solitary or 

 in pairs on peduncles 

 J^in. long; fls. 15-20 

 in a head; petals with 

 midrib ; sepals nar- 

 row, half as long as 

 petals: pod more or 

 less twisted and con- 

 stricted between the 

 seeds, 1-2 in. long, 

 J/jjin. wide, thin, with 

 nerve - like margins ; 

 funicle club-shaped, 

 half as long as seed; 

 ripe July, Aug. Fls. 

 Feb. B.M. 4041. 



13. acinacea, Lindl. (A. Latrbbei, Meisn.). A much- 

 branched shrub: phyll. obliquely oblong, K-M m - long, 

 Yi~Y^n. wide, obtuse, with a recurved point; gland 

 one-third distance from base: fls. in pairs (rarely soli- 

 tary), 5-merous; calyx spathulate, ciliate, half as long 

 as petals; petals united; peduncles Yy-%m. long: pod 

 twisted or curved, J^in. wide, more or less constricted 

 between the seeds; seed longitudinal; funicle not so 

 long as seed and thickened into fleshy clavate aril. Fls. 

 March. F. v. M. Icon. 4:7. F. v. Mueller proposed to 

 unite this with the broad-lvd. A. obliqua, since the only 

 difference between them seems to be based upon shape 

 of phyll. This group should be given further study to 

 determine whether transition stages may be found 

 between the narrow and the round forms and whether 



71. Acacia 

 armata. (X>i> 



