WATTLES AND WATTLE-BARKS. 67 



The whole family of Acacias is divided into two main groups, according to 

 the structure of their leaves : 



1. Phyllodinea. Those which have the true leaves* replaced by pliyllodes. 

 The first leaves put forth will be found to be compound, consisting of several 

 leaflets succeeding each other on each side of the midrib or petiole, and being 

 compared to the branches of a feather, have received the name of pinnae, 

 and the whole said to be pinnate. 



The diagram herewith will, perhaps, make the matter of Acacia pliyllodes 

 more clear. I may mention that the metamorphosis described is character- 

 istic of nearly 280 out of about 300 known species of this genus. 



2. Bipinnatce. Under this heading are included the Acacias which never 

 develop Phyllodcs, but bear true leaves through all stages of growth. 



Appendix II. 



THE ACACIA DECURRENS GROUP OE 

 WATTLES. 



The well-known feathery-leaved wattle, familiar to most people in the- 

 eastern and southern colonies, by whom it is chiefly known by one of two 

 names, viz., black or green wattle was first botanically described by the 

 botanist Willdenow, who defined two species, Acacia decurrcns and Acacia 

 mollissima. 



In the Flora Australiensis, Bentham took Willdenow's decurrens as the 

 typical species, reducing the other species to the rank of a variety under the 

 name of mollis ; in other words, Acacia mollissima, Willd., is Acacia decurrens, 

 "Willd. var. mollis, Benth. Bentham also called another variety normalis, 

 a third one pauciglandulosa, and a fourth (doubtfully) Leicliliaratii. 



Many years afterwards, Baron von Mueller decided to again raise the 

 mollis variety to the rank of a species, re-introducing Willdenow's name 

 mollissima for it. Thus, according to the learned Baron, we have two 



* To speak more precisely, phyllocles in reality formed by the confluence of leaflets, 

 stalklets, and stalks. 



