1 2 2 LeguminOSCB. [Acacia. 



The heart-wood is dark red, extremely hard and strong, and said to 

 be the toughest in Ceylon; but it is too small to be of much use. 



DesiJianthus virgatus, Willd., C. P. 3606, is a not uncommon weed 

 in cultivated ground, but certainly not indigenous, here. It was collected 

 by Hermann, and is Fl. Zeyl. n. 505 {Mimosa virgata, L.). 



Leuccena glauca, Benth., is naturalised in many places in the low 

 country. A native of North America. 



Mimosa fiudica, L., is a very abundant and most troublesome weed 

 throughout the low country. It is said by Gardner to have been intro- 

 duced here by Moon, and it is included in his Catalogue (1824), p. 73, 

 but it seems to have been here earlier. Its native country appears to be 

 Brazil. Like other sensitive plants, it is called ' Nidi-kumba ' by the 

 Sinhalese. The root is considered an antidote for cobra bite. 



62. ACACXA, Willd. 



Trees or shrubs often scandent by prickles, 1. bipinnate, 

 often with sharp persistent stipular spines, fl. very small, in 

 heads or spikes, often polygamous ; cal. campanulate or funnel- 

 shaped, segm. more or less triangular ; pet. connate into a cor. 

 with 5 lobes, stam. indef. free, much longer than cor., anth. 

 not gland-tipped ; pod dry, usually compressed, dehiscent 

 (rarely indehiscent) ; seeds several, on long funicles. — Sp. 430 

 (mostly Australian) ; 18 in Fl. B. Ind. 



Trees or shrubs. 



Fl. in globular heads. 

 Heads axillary. 



Pod strongly constricted between seeds . . 1. A. ARABICA. 

 Pod not constricted. 

 Pod cylindrical 

 Pod flat. 



Lfits. 5-8 pair, glabrous . 

 Lflts. 8-16 pair, tomentose 

 Heads in panicles 

 Fl. in spikes. 

 Pinnae 9-18 pair 

 Pinnae 4-6 pair 

 Woody climbers. 



Lflts. 10-22 pair, linear-oblong . 

 Lflts. 40-50 pair, narrowly linear . 



. Several Australian species, especially A. dealbata, Link, and varieties 

 of A. decicrrens, Willd., have been extensively planted in the montane 

 region; A. Melanoxylon, Br., is also common about Nuwara Eliya. 



A. Farnesiaita, Willd., is quite naturalised in many parts of the low 

 country, and is C. P. 1522. It appears to be indigenous to Western Trop. 

 America and Australia, and perhaps to S. Africa. 



1. * A. arabica, Willd. Sp. PL iv. 1085 (1805). Karuvel, T. 



Thw. Enum. 415. C. P. 3640. 



Fl. B. Ind. ii. 293. Bedd. Fl. Sylv. t. 47. 



2. A. PLANIFRONS. 



3. A. EBURNEA. 



4. A. TOMENTOSA. 



5. A. LEUCOPHLCEA. 



6. A. SUNDRA. 



7. A. FERRUGINEA. 



A. CESIA. 

 A. PENNATA. 



