188 



ACACIA 



ACACIA 



pound, 1-2 in. long, with gland at base of each pair of 

 pinnae; pinnae 2-3 pairs (occasionally 4), 1 in. long; 

 Ifts. about 20 pairs, ^in. long, nearly ^in. wide: ra- 

 cemes longer than Ivs., 2-3 Vi in. long; fls. 15 in a head, 

 on peduncles J^-J^in. long: pod lJ^-4 in. long, J^in. 

 'wide, with nerve-like margins, occasionally constricted 

 between seeds; seeds transverse, %h\. long, with club- 

 shaped funicle one-half its length; ripe July, Aug. Fls. 

 Jan., Feb. F. v. M. Icon. 12:5. G.C. III. 15:37. A 

 much-prized ornamental and sometimes used as a 

 street tree. . 



56. discolor, Willd. A tall shrub or small tree, either 

 glabrous or pubescent: pinnse 2-6 pairs; Ifts. 10-15 

 pairs, J4~Vin- long, 1-nerved, pale beneath; large 

 gland on petiole and a few small ones on upper pairs of 

 Ifts.: fls. 6-15 in. a head, in axillary racemes, 5-merous; 

 petals with prominent midribs; calyx short, ciliate: 

 pod flat, with nerve-like margins, 1-3 in. long, iHsin. 

 wide; funicle enlarged at hilum end. 



57. pruindsa, Cunn. A small tree with young foliage 

 bronze-like: pinnse 2-4 pairs, 2J-^-4 in. long; Ifts. 11-24 

 pairs, }^-Min. long, oblong to linear; nerve excentric, 

 occasionally 1 or 2 short nerves; gland prominent, dis- 

 tant from base: fls. in racemes, 30 in a head, 5-merous; 

 sepals united, half the length of petals: pods with nerve- 

 like margins, 2^-3 in. long, %m. broad, occasionally 

 constricted between seeds; funicle short, filiform half 

 its length, then enlarged into club-shaped aril. Fls. 

 Feb.-Apr. 



58. decurrens, Willd. GREEN WATTLE. A hand- 

 some tree, glabrous or more or less tomentose-pubescent 

 with branches more or less prominently angled: pinna; 

 8-15 pairs or more (sometimes reduced to 5 or 6); 

 Ifts. 30-40 pairs or more, linear, from under 2 to nearly 

 5 lines long, according to the variety: fls. 20-30 in a 

 head, mostly 5-merous: pods 3-4 in. long, about l /im. 

 broad, more or less contracted between the seeds. 

 Wattles and Wattle-barks, p. 55. Brown, For. Fl. 



of S. Austral. 

 There is much 

 confusion regard- 

 ing this group 

 among nursery- 

 men and others. 



Var. normalis, 

 Benth. SYDNEY 

 BLACK WATTLE. 

 Lfts. ^-J^in.long. 

 Restricted range 

 on the coast of 

 Austral. Accord- 

 ing to Maiden, 

 var. normalis dif- 

 ers from type in 

 having sepals as 

 long as petals and 

 cilia on interior of 

 lobe: in A. decur- 

 rens, the petals 

 have a midrib and 

 a short, broadly 

 lobed ciliate calyx. 

 Var. mollis, Lindl. (A. molllssima, Willd.). BLACK 

 WATTLE. A tree 20-50 ft. high, with reddish bark 

 showing under the fissures: pinnae 8-20 pairs, shining 

 on upper surface, 2-Q in. long; Ifts. 30-60 pairs, closely 

 crowded, not J-jjin. in length; gland between each pair 

 of pinnae and generally additional ones on internodes 

 between: fl.-clusters in racemes, 30-36 in a head, 5- 

 merous; peduncles ^g-^in. long: pods dark, pubescent, 

 2-4 in. long, not J^in. wide, constricted and contracted 

 between the seeds; seed longitudinal; funicle filiform, 

 enlarged to a light-colored cap over seed; ripe June- 

 Oct. Fls. pale yellow, blooming profusely in June and 

 intermittently at other times. B.R. 371. Distin- 



75. Acacia decurrens var. dealbata. ( X '2) 



guished from var. dealbata by its later blooming period, 

 by its lighter fls., its characteristic pubescent pods and 

 smaller seeds and by the short Ifts., shining above, 

 which sit close together. 



Var. dealbata, F. v. M. (A. dealbata, Link). SILVER 

 WATTLE. Fig. 75. A tree 50 or more ft. high, with 

 smooth bark and gray pubescent branchlets: Ivs. 

 silver-gray to light green, 3-6J^ in. long; pinnae 13-25 

 pairs; Ifts. 30-40 pairs; glands 1 between each pair of 

 pinnae: racemes often compound, 30 fls. in a head, 

 5-merous; sepals united; petals with faint midrib; 

 peduncles %in. long: pods 1H-4J4 in. long, %-Kin. 

 wide, smooth, a rich brown; seeds longitudinal; funicle 

 as long as seed, filiform half its distance and ending in 

 silvery club-shaped aril; ripe July, Aug. Fls. Feb., 

 March. A.F. 13:880. R.H. 1896 p. 502. Mts. in its 

 native country. It is sometimes given specific rank 

 as A. dealbata, but intermediate forms occur. 



59. filicina, Willd. (Mimosa fdicioides, Cav.). TIMBE. 

 Unarmed shrub: Ivs. fern-like; pinnae 5-30 pairs ; Ifts. 

 20-50 or more pairs (rarely 10-15), very small: fl.-heacls 

 globular, orange or yellow, in terminal panicles: pods 

 broadly linear, straight or slightly curved, often irreg- 

 ular, flat not pulpy. Texas and Mex. The astringent, 

 bitter bark called timbe is used by the Mexicans in 

 making pulque for precipitating mucilaginous matter. 

 Safford, Science, Jan. 22, 1909: 160. 



60. pulchella, R. Br. A handsome shrub, either 

 glabrous or hirsute, with slender branches, mostly 

 armed with subulate spines: pinnae 1 pair; Ifts. 4-7 

 pairs, oboyate-oblong, -fa J^in. long; gland on stipes 

 between pinnae, or none: peduncles solitary; fls. 5-mer- 

 ous; petals with prominent midrib; calyx half as long 

 as petals and sinuate-toothed: pods flat, thick margins, 

 1-2 in. long, J^-^in. wide; seed longitudinal; funicle 

 filiform and thickened into club-shaped aril. Fls. Apr. 



Var. grandis, Hort. (A. grdndis, Henfr.). Glabrous: 

 Ifts. 8-10 pairs, a little larger and more numerous than 

 the type. Fls. Feb.-May. J.H. III. 35: 369 (1897). 



Var. hispidissima, Hort. (A. hispidlssima, DC.). 

 Branches covered with long, spreading hairs: Ifts. nar- 

 row and revolute: fls. white. B.M. 4588. 



61. Farnesiana, Willd. (A. leptophylla, DC.). POPI- 

 NAC. OPOPANAX. CASSIE. HUISACHE. Much-branch- 

 ing shrub, 6-10 ft. : stipules straight, slender, sometimes 

 minute spines; pinnae 5-8 pairs; Ifts. mostly 10-25 

 pairs, 1-2 lines long, narrow, linear, glabrous: pedun- 

 cles 2 or 3 in the older axils; fl.-heads large, globular, 

 deep yellow, very fragrant, pods almost terete, inde- 

 hiscent, at length turgid and pulpy. Feb., March. 

 Texas, Mex., Asia, Afr. and Austral. Grown in France 

 for perfumery. Its origin is probably American, but 

 it is now naturalized in nearly every tropical country. 

 It was intro. into the Hawaiian Isls. as an ornamen- 

 tal, but escaped from cult, and has now almost become 

 a pest. A new variety of A. Farnesiana has been dis- 

 covered which is more hardy than the type and grows 

 more rapidly. It produces two crops of fls. a year, which 

 makes it very lucrative for the making of perfumery. 

 The pods are said to contain a tannin. 



62. Cavenia, Bert. ESPINO CAV AN. Height 20 ft.: 

 spines stout: Ifts. scabrous, scabrous-pubescent. 

 Otherwise near to A. Farnesiana, of which it is some- 

 times considered a mere variety. Chile. A good hedge 

 plant. 



63. arabica, .Willd. GUM ARABIC TREE. Fig. 76. 

 Shrub or small tree with gray branchlets; stipules spiny: 

 pinnae 3-8 pairs, VrW^. in. long; Ifts. 10-20 pairs, 

 J^-J^in. long, glands several: fls. in groups of 2-5, 

 calyx half the length of corolla: pods distinctly stalked, 

 flat, mostly moniliform, gray^iowny, 3-6 in. long. 

 Arabia and Eu. Some confusion exists between this 

 species and A. Farnesiana, but they are easily distin- 

 guished by means of the pod which in A. arabica is 



