30 Forage Plants of Australia. 



ORDER LEGUMINOS^E. 



ACACIA SENTIS, P. y. M. 



" Bramble Acacia." 

 Flora Austr., Vol. II, p. 360. 



A SPEEADING shrub, or small tree, with lanceolate or linear phyllodia, vary- 

 ing on different trees from f of an inch to 2 inches in length. In the right 

 hand branch on the engraving the stipules are shown to be prominent, though 

 on some plants they are minute, and from others they are entirely wanting. 

 The peduncles are slender, solitary, or in pairs, and axillary in terminal 

 racemes, as shown on the left hand branch of the engraving. This tree is 

 moderately plentiful, and is peculiar to the arid central plains of Australia, 

 from the Darling Elver to the Barrier Ranges in New South "Wales, Bargoo 

 River in Queensland, low sand hills near the Murray River in Victoria, near 

 Flinders Range in the interior of South Australia, also near the Gulf of 

 Carpentaria in North Australia, and its presence is said to be nearly always 

 an indication of underground water. Its drought-enduring qualities are 

 remarkable ; and the hot parching Avinds of the interior seem to have little 

 effect in checking its growth, for its vivid green foliage, even in protracted 

 "spells" of dry weather, makes its presence a delightful object among the 

 surrounding more sombre-looking vegetation. It is a capital forage shrub, 

 and horses, cattle, and sheep eat it with avidity ; any trees which will grow 

 on our arid central plains are well worthy of conservation, and even cultiva- 

 tion, more especially those which are useful for forage. During long 

 droughts such trees prove an invaluable aid to pastoralists, who, however, 

 have done nothing in the way of conserving them for future contingencies. 

 This is to be deplored, and, perhaps, when the trees are getting scarce, through 

 being so much cut down for feed, such a thing as conservation may De 

 theught to be a wise undertaking. The shrub under consideration when in 

 a young state will stand well cutting in, and on this account would make a 

 capital hedge. The timber which this shrub produces is never of very large 

 dimensions. It is soft, but tough, and might be used for cart and buggy 

 shafts, also for tool handles of various descriptions. "When left unmolested 

 this tree produces moderately plentiful seed, which when fresh will germinate 

 readily under ordinary conditions. But old seed should be steeped in water 

 for a few days before sowing, or it will be a long time before germination 

 takes place. It is one of the few acacias the seeds of which the blacks use 

 as an article of food. At figure 1 is illustrated the seed-pods, which are thin, 

 flat and about % an inch broad. The seeds are broadly ovate, and are arranged 

 along the centre of the pod. They should be sown in places where it is 

 intended that the plants are to grow. It is seldom that the seedlings sur- 

 vive transplanting. According to Baron von Mueller there are upwards of 

 300 species o the genus Acacia found in Australia, and as might be supposed, 

 they vary very much both as regards stature and the arrangement of their 

 inflorescence. Many of them are known by such common names as wattles, 

 yarran, (broad and narrow leaved) myall, mulga, sally, brigalow, hickory, 

 &c., &c. Some of them are of considerable economic value for the timber 

 they yield. Many of them are highly ornamental, and form quite a feature 

 in the Australian landscape when in bloom. When flower farming becomes 

 an established industry in Australia, the flowers of some species of acacia will 

 play an important part, and their delicate perfumes are well worthy of being 

 put into the market, where they would compete most favourably with better 

 known perfumes. 



