186 



ACACIA 



ACACIA 



club-shaped, folded once or twice at end of seed. 

 F. v. M. Icon. 8:2. Distinguished from A. melanoxy- 

 lan by the more pointed and hooked phyll., while the 

 funicle is cream-colored and folded at the end of the 

 seed instead of being scarlet and twice encircling it as 

 in A. mekmoxylon. 



38. kda, Gray. KOA. Tree of 50-60 ft., with spread- 

 ing branches: phyll. falcate, acuminate and tapering to 

 base, striate with 3-5 parallel nerves more prominent, 

 4-5 in. long, %-J^in. wide; gland at base prominent: 

 fls. in short racemes or rarely solitary, or in pairs, 50-60 

 fls. in a head; peduncles j-^in. long, 5-merous; calyx 

 united, ciliate edges: pod brown, flat, thin, reticulately 

 nerved, more or less constricted between seeds, 5-6 in. 

 long, %-l in. wide; seed dark brown, nearly transverse, 

 oblong, about %in. long by M m - wide; funicle light 

 brown, filiform, not encircling seed but with 2 or 3 

 twists at hilum end. Hawaiian Isls. A valuable tim- 

 ber tree, capable of receiving a high polish. It should 

 be more largely grown in Calif. 



39. viscidula, Cunn. A tall 

 shrub, 12-15 ft. high, with terete 

 branches covered by a glossy viscid 

 gum: phyll. long-linear, with a 

 small oblique point, sparingly 

 pubescent, at least when young, 

 '2-3/4 in. long) A to less than Kin. 

 wide, with several obscure parallel 

 veins; gland near base: fls. 40 in a 

 head, solitary or in pairs, either 5- 



or 4-merous, with peduncles }^in. long; 



calyx and corolla pubescent: pod hirsute, 



with nerve-like margins, 1K~2 in. long, J^in. 



wide, slightly depressed between the seeds ; 



seed small, longitudinal; funicle silvery, 



twice or thrice twisted and thickened into 



cap at end of seed; ripe Aug. Fls. March, 



Apr. At first glance easily mistaken for 



narrow-lyd. A. retinodes, but its short-std. 



fls. in pairs, the resinous viscid substance on phyll. and 



its small narrow pods will at once distinguish it. 



40. elongata, Sieb. A tall shrub with angular branch- 

 lets: phyll. distinctly striate, 3-nerved, or often ob- 

 scured, long-linear, slightly falcate, narrowed to base, 

 obtuse and ending in oblique point, 2-3 J^ or 4 in. long 

 (or narrower and 5}^ in. long), hardly J^in. broad; 

 peduncles Yiyfi. long, solitary or in pairs: pod thin, 

 with nerve-like margins, 1^-2}^ in. long, J^in. wide, 

 slightly impressed between seeds, pod convex over 

 them: seed oblong, brown; funicle not folded about 

 seed but with 2 or 3 folds fitting over end of seed like 

 a cap. B.M. 3337. Especially suitable for damp, 

 sandy land. 



41. Oswaldii, F. v. M. A stiff shrub, 8 to 10 ft. tall: 

 phyll. linear to oblong-falcate, with numerous fine 

 parallel veins ending in oblique mucronate point, 1-2 

 in. long, nearly J^in. wide; gland near base: fl.-heads 

 sessile, solitary or in pairs, about 15-20 in a head; 

 sepals over half as long as petals: pods hard, curved 

 into crescents about each seed; funicle filiform, half 

 the length of seed and suddenly dilated into a cap 

 nearly as long, which fits over and covers up one-third 

 of seed. F. v. M. Icon. 6:10. May be easily recog- 

 nized by its finely striate, narrow, 2-in.-long phyll., its 

 sessile yellow fls. that sit at base of phyll., nearly 

 hiding st., by the pods twisted in lunar shape with valves 

 convex over seed and by the cap covering one-third of 

 seed. A small bushy tree in Australia, producing a 

 scented timber; the natives make short weapons from it. 



42. harpophylla, F. v. M. A tree with slightly 

 angular branchlets: phyll. striate, 3-5-nerved, falcate- 

 lanceolate, tapering to both ends, 6-8 in. long, i^-%in. 

 wide: fls. in clusters with peduncles J^in. long, or in 

 short racemes, much shorter than phyll., 15-20 fls. in 

 a head; sepals not half so long as petals: pod striate, 



more or less constricted and contracted between seeds, 

 3-4, or even 5, in. long, %\n. wide; seed elliptic; funicle 

 half as long as seed and but slightly enlarged into aril. 

 F. v. M. 6:9. 



43. Cyclops, Cunn. Fig. 72. A low spreading shrub, 

 8-10 ft. tall, with many sts.: phyll. narrow-oblong to 

 lanceolate or even falcate-lanceolate, with oblique point, 

 1/^-3 % in. long, ^-:Hjin. wide, gland at base more or 

 less obscure; 3^6 longitudinal nerves: fls. solitary or in 

 pairs, or even in short racemes; peduncles J^in. long: 

 pods in clusters of 2-7 from one head, 2-2 J^ in. long, 

 <Hiin. wide, more or less curled; seeds transverse, with 

 odor, when fresh, something like a leek, surrounded by 

 conspicuous scarlet funicle in double fold; ripe Aug.- 

 Nov. Fls. off and on from July-Dec. F. v. M. Icon. 

 8:3. Young specimens are very compact and attrac- 

 tive, although in a few years they become spreading and 

 unsymmetrical; but, as short-lived tub-plants for cer- 

 tain formal effects, they would be very effective. While 

 the seed-pods are at first charm- 

 ingly artistic with the scarlet 

 funicle surrounding the black 

 seeds and the rich brown pods, 

 in age they are unsightly, as 

 they persist until they are ragged, 

 ugly and black. The pods con- 

 tain much tannin that is hard 

 on the mucous membrane when 

 the seeds are cleaned. 



44. oxycedrus, Sieb. A rigid 

 shrub with terete and usually 

 pubescent branches: phyll. stri- 

 ate, linear-lanceolate but broad at 

 base and tapering to a pungent 

 point, /4~%m. or even 1 in. long 

 and 3-4-nerved on each side; 

 small stipules, often spinescent: 

 spikes 1 in. long; fls. 4-merous; 

 calyx short with obtuse lobes: 

 pods 3 in. long, J^in. wide, stri- 

 ate, incurved and with convex 

 valves; seed longitudinal; funicle 

 thickened from the base and 

 much folded. B.M. 2928. Su- 

 perficially resembles A. verticil- 

 lata, but the phyll. are broader 

 and the valves of the pods are 

 thicker than in that species. 



45. verticillata, Willd. (Mimosa verlicillata, L'Her.). 

 WHORL-LEAVED ACACIA. Fig. 74. A spreading shrub 

 or small tree of graceful habit; branches more or less 

 pubescent: phyll. in whorls or often scattered, linear- 

 subulate, about ^z-%in. long, or more, less than J^in. 

 wide, ending in a pungent point; 1-nerved; occasional 

 gland near middle: spikes J^-l in. long, often conceal- 

 ing the phyll.: pods flat, straight or slightly curved, 

 with nerves-like margins, 2-3 in. long, J^in. wide, taper- 

 ing to a point; seeds longitudinal, %\n. long, with light- 

 colored funicles of about same length thickened at end 

 of seed into cup-shaped aril; ripe June and early July. 

 Fls. March, Apr. B.M. 110. Used for hedges and as 

 ornamental; also to some extent as a street tree, in 

 which case it may be trimmed to assume a pyramidal 

 form, but can hardly be recommended for this pur- 

 pose since it is short-lived and in age becomes strag- 

 gling. It may be made to assume a pendulous habit by 

 weighting its branches with a brick when young. There 

 seem to be several types, some being soft to the touch 

 while others are harsh and rigid. There is also much 

 difference in the length of the fl.-spikes. 



46. Riceana, Hensl. (A. erythropus, Tenore). A tall 

 shrub or small tree, with graceful drooping branchlets: 

 phyll. clustered, less than 1 in. long and Am. broad 

 (or narrower and 1 Yi in. long) linear-subulate, tapering 

 into pungent point: spikes slender, lJ^-2 in. long; 



74. Acacia verticillata. 



