WATTLES AND WATTLE-BARKS. 35 



10. Acacia pcnnmervis, Sieb., B. Fl., ii, 362, 



Usually called " HICKORY," or "Mountain Hickory," from Brai.'lwood to 1 lie Vic- 

 torian border. Sometimes called "Blackvvood; " occasionally called "Black Wattle," e.g. 

 Blue Mountains. 



The greater amount of wattle bark used by Australian tanners, or exported 

 from our shores, is the produce of two species of Acacia namely, Acacia 

 decurrens (and its varieties) and Acacia pi/cnanilia* I propose to show that 

 there is another wattle of surpassing excellence, one worthy to be mentioned 

 in comparison with these two. Hardly a year ago I examined a wattle bark 

 from the extreme south of this Colony, quite different in appearance from 

 the smooth barks which are usually associated in Australia with high per- 

 centage of tannin. To my surprise, I found it to contain 34 per cent, of 

 tannic acid. I repeated the experiments wi-h fresh samples, but the results 

 never varied 1 per cent, altogether. In other words, this bark contains one- 

 third of its weight of tannic acid, calculated on the dry bark. I made the 

 welcome announcement in an official publication, and the receipt of numerous 

 samples since has shown me that bark of the particular quality is not as 

 scarce as I had supposed it to be. So many communications have reached 

 me, particularly from Queensland, in regard to this matter, and the subject 

 is of such great commercial importance to our Colony, that I take this oppo- 

 tunity of stating all I know about it. Unfortunately there are several so- 

 called hickories in this Colony, and, therefore care is necessary to discrimi- 

 nate the right one. That hickory which looks like a pepper tree and which 

 is found on the banks of water-courses and in gullies in the Blue Mountains, 

 and also at Picton, Bargo, Mittagong, and other places in the Southern 

 districts, is Acacia data. Most of our hickories (and A-cacia penninervis is no 

 exception), however, are pJiyllodinous ; that is to say, their leaves are not 

 true leaves, but what are called pJiylhdes (Greek, " like a leaf"), and are 

 structurally simply an expansion, or flattening out of the leaf-stalk. 

 Amongst these, which are known as hickory in different places, are Acacia 

 binervata (one of the black wattles), Acacia longifolia (our Sydney golden 

 wattle), and even the blackwood (^Acacia melanoxyloii), and the closely allied 

 Acacia implex a. 



It is worthy of note that in some districts in which mountain hickory 

 occurs the bark has never been stripped and tried, for the reason that people 

 do not look upon it as a wattle, imagining it to be a gum-tree! This state 

 of things is passing away, as the bark is now becoming appreciated in cer- 

 tain quarters, to my personal knowledge, and it is only another instance of 

 the unknown wealth waiting to be known, and therefore utilised. 



* This account cf " Mountain Hickory" bark is founded on an arti.le by t-e aullrji* in 

 the Sydney Mail of 21st February, 1891. 



