144 ACACIAS. 



flo\verln(T. The more delicate kinds, such as the Marcchal 

 yiel, Marie van Ho^dte, Gloire de Dijon, Souvenir cle la 

 Malwaison, Paul Nabomiand and La France, which adorn 

 our £^ardens in summer, thrive on sunny walls and under 

 glass. Large areas are thus covered in at Cannes and 

 Antibes. Hundreds of thousands of these flowers blossom 

 in a single day in spring at these two places — often when 

 there is no possibility of turning them to account. In 

 Cannes Acaciti dealbata is being more and more culti- 

 vated and exported to the North. Its balls of flowers 

 united into sprays and its delicateh' pinnate leaves have 

 obtained for it the name of "Mimosa" in the trade. 

 The tree grows with astonisliing rapidit)', attaining a 

 height of ten \ ards in five or six years. As early as 

 January these trees are smothered in a'cUow flowers. 

 Acacia rcfinoides is sent to German\' in quantities ; it has 

 balls of flowers like the other spe-cies, but simple, 

 leather\-, lanceolate leaves. In reality- these leaf-like 

 orp'ans are not leaves but flattened leaf-stalks. For com- 

 parison ^'^•ith other species of Acacia shows that the leaf- 

 blades have disappeared and been replaced \)\ the 

 dilated petioles. Structures of this kind are called phyl- 

 lodes. Acacia longifcdia, which is often seen in our 

 northern flower-shops, also has these phyllodes. This 

 species is easih' distinguished, for the flowers, instead 

 of being united into balls, form catkin-like inflorescences 

 resembling caterpillars. The flowers of all these Acacias 

 are mellow. The\' blossom in succession on the Riviera, 

 Acacia cultriforniis being last. This does not reach its 

 full perfection until March. Its inflorescence is spherical 



