462 XXIII. LEGUMINOSAE 



Albizzia aTnara, Randia dwnetorum, Azadirachta indica, Dichrostachys cinerea, 

 and Chloroxylon Swietenia. On poor soils it is sometimes associated with 

 Acacia eburnea, Balanites Roxburghii, and Capparis aphylla. 



8. Acacia Farnesiana, Willd. Syn. VachelUa Farnesiana, W. and A. 

 Cassie flower. Vern. Wilayati babul, wilayati kiTcar, gukiJcar, Hind. ; Jalli, 

 Kan. ; Kankri, Mar. ; Nanlongyaing , Burm. 



A thorny shrub or small tree reaching a height of 15 ft. or sometimes 

 more, with fragrant flowers from which a perfume is extracted ; it yields 

 a gum. Indigenous in tropical America ; cultivated and self-sown throughout 

 the greater part of India and Burma. In northern India it is sometimes 

 found gregariously in river-beds on loose sandy soil, a condition which appears 

 to favour its establishment. On the plains of the Punjab it grows well on 

 pure sand in fairly dry places, and would probably do well for sowing up 

 shifting sands. 



The flowering season is somewhat irregular, but lasts chiefly from Novem- 

 ber to March ; the bright yellow globose flower-heads are powerfully scented. 

 The pods form rapidly, and are usually full-sized but still green by May. They 

 commence ripening about July (Dehra Dun), but hang long on the tree, and 

 may be collected almost any time. The pods are 2-3-5 in. long by 0-5 in. 

 thick, nearly cylindrical, pointed at both ends, turgid, dark brown when ripe, 

 with a double row of numerous seeds embedded in dry spongy tissue ; they 

 are hardly dehiscent. About 300-340 seeds weigh 1 oz. The pods usually 

 fall without dehiscing, and the valves become eaten by insects or decay or are 

 beaten open by heavy rain, the seeds being washed out. The seeds often 

 germinate within the pod, a dense clump of seedlings resulting. Germination 

 takes place during the rains, but many seeds remain on or in the ground for 

 a whole year, germinating in the second rains. At Dehra Dun the season's 

 growth ends about December ; the leaves commence falling in November- 

 December and the plants are leafless or nearly so in* January-February, the 

 new leaves appearing in February-March. 



Under favourable conditions the growth of the seedling is rapid. Seed 

 sown at Dehra Dun in May in a nursery-bed regularly watered and weeded 

 produced plants up to 7 ft. high by the end of the first season, and these 

 flowered early the next year. In another plot seedlings regularly weeded but 

 not watered reached maximum heights of 2 ft. 1 in. and 7 ft. 10 in. by the 

 end of the first and second seasons respectively, and by the end of the third 

 season the dominant plants varied from 7 ft. to 14 ft. 4 in. in height ; they 

 commenced flowering in the end of the second season and the pods ripened 

 successfully in the third season, the plants being then about two years old. 

 The plants require free growing space, and the smaller ones are quickly sup- 

 pressed and outgrown by the more vigorous ones. They stand frost fairly well. 



9. Acacia eburnea, Willd. Syn. Mimosa eburnea, Roxb. Vern. Palmri 

 kikar. Hind. ; Marmati, Mar. ; Odai vel, kal odai, Tam. 



A large shrub or small tree with rough dark grey bark, sparse greyish 

 foliage and straight spines, the larger ones white and up to 2 in. long. Though 

 nowhere abundant, it is widely distributed in the drier parts of India, extending 

 westward into Arabia. In the sub-Himalayan tract it occurs in dry river-beds 

 along with A. Catechu. In the Indian Peninsula it is found in open thorn 



