﻿MR. G. BENTHAM ON THE MIMOSE^. 345 



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American origin ; and yet its wide distribution over tropical Africa and tlie Mascarene 

 islands, where it was found by early explorers in widely different localities, seems to 

 show that it was already there before the discovery of America, and that in a form or 

 variety which is precisely one of the commonest in South America. It cannot very 

 reasonably be included among the remains of some primitive flora from which those 

 both of Africa and South America have been' derived ; for in that case it would have 

 followed the example of others which give evidence of such a common origin, and would 

 have diverged into specially African varieties or representative species. We must 

 therefore, upon such data as we as yet possess, come to the conclusion that, like the 

 Nepfunia oleracea, it has been carried over in early days from South America to Africa 

 independently of human agency, although not enjoying the peculiar facilities for such 



transport exemplified in aquatic plants. 



The dispersion of Acacia famesiana is more difficult to explain. It is now very 

 abundant in almost all countries enjoying a tropical or subtropical climate, both in the 

 New and the Old World; but it has been so long cultivated for the scent of its flowers, 

 and spreads so readily from cultivation, that it is in east tropical South America, as in 

 Asia and Africa, most frequently recognized as a colonist only; but yet it is said to have 

 every appearance of being reaUy indigenous in the Indian archipelago, and perhaps m 

 tropical Africa; and it was gathered by the early explorers in tropical Austraha Its 

 real home, however, is most probably Western America. It ranges there from Chih to 

 Mexico and Texas, varying considerably, and passing not only mto the closely allied 

 .... .. variety A, cavenia (which is exclusively American), but also sometmies 



-. , , ..V. ' -i. 3 f ^ cr.rv.o fnvTYi«! of thc A. tovtuosa aud even oi A. macra- 

 scarcely to be distinguished from some torms oi ^^^■^- 



, . ^-Un-iof in +hp Old World it departs but little irom 



cantha, both from the same region; whilst m tne uia vvoi i x,,^,Vnl 



» J T- ^ ^r^wTT TiAir nllies none nearer than tne tropical 



the common cultivated form, and has no very near allies, none A^p.Vnn 



Ai- • 4 d' r. ' ^\.\n\. Tinwpver is only connected with it through the American 

 African A. Siebenana, wbich, however, ''J^J ^ ^^ ^^^ ^^ j^^ d from the 



A. .^acracantna. Acacia farne^ana ^^^^^^f^^ '' ^^^^^^, ^^, J ,{, Old World, 

 data before us, like Mimosa asperata, be set down as a coioms ^ 



although a very ancient one. . ^ ^j^^ ^ j^^| ^^1,. 



if, however, we may be justified m consideiing these tew p ^ ^^^^ ^^^^^^ i^'eountriei 



order Mimoseae, now 



species or 



U^r Wentlcal la t.e New and t.e Old WoHd 



as casual though remote 



w.v.v>. ^..x^wovc^, -w„ .^^^~- ^-mriflssable barriers, as casual inougu remowj 



uow so widely separated by apparently '"^P^~ l^, „„, to tlie other under 



„„i„_:„i. f *i,„ „„o +n flip other, as having passea irom 1, 



colonists from the one to the other 



coiomsts trom we onexo ^"^ "^^ " ^^^ ^tich now prcvaU, the ease is Tcry 



physical conditions not very different trom t .^ ^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^ principles 



different with representative or nearly ''"ff -^ „, ,,i„ed in some of my 



I have adopted in my notes on Cama and on p^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^^ .^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ 



Addresses, must be set dovi-n as descendants oi ^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^ dissevered regions, 

 ages, has become more or less n^oditied in ^.^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^.^ ^^^^^ 



As to what was this common stock, whetner lu ^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ .^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^^^ 



in one of the regions, or more or less distmcx ^^ .^^ descendants, or in some land 

 in any part of the present dissevered <:°" ^^^_ T,„t ,„okcn up by subsequent 

 formerly in connexion with the diflereni pi ^ scantiness of the data at our 



..nu2.^ .T,„..«s._these are questions which, from 



geological chang 



