THE ACACIAS 187 



new shoots and the dull, opaque of the older leaves, with 

 abundant clusters in earliest spring. The succeeding 

 fruits are curling thin pods that hang in brownish sheaves, 

 giving the tree a rusty look. Each seed is rimmed with a 

 frill of terra cotta hue that serves as a wing for its flight, 

 when detached by the wind. The roots send up suckers 

 and the seeds are quick to grow. So any one can have 

 black acacias with little trouble or expense. Its shedding 

 of leaves and pods makes much litter, however, a trait 

 sometimes overlooked which seriously duninishes its de- 

 sirability as a street and shade tree. 



The Silver Wattle 



A. dealbata 



The silver wattle of nursery catalogues is named for its 

 abundant, silvery-pubescent, feathery foliage. Its flow- 

 ers — fluffy golden balls, small but abundant — make this a 

 wonderfully showy tree. 



Sea-green and turquoise-blue leaves, with abundant 

 canary-yellow bloom, are traits of many different acacias 

 in cultivation, all of which are rapid growers, and soon re- 

 pay the planter who wants quick results. From being 

 mere ornaments they rise to the stature of shade trees, and 

 merely multiply the charms that made them admired 

 when young. Varieties with sharp spines are employed as 

 hedge plants. Curious leaf forms and unusual, edgewise 

 position of the foliage, make us wonder at some of the 

 glorious "golden wattles" and "knife-leaved acacias," 

 that bring us glimpses of the forests of Austraha and other 

 strange far countries. 



