ACACIA AEABICA. Willd. (Nat. ord. Leguminosse ; Sub-ord. Miraosse ; Tribe Acaeiese.) 



ACACIA. (Willd.) Oen. PL 1 p. 594. — Corol regular, sepals 5-4 or 3 free or united ; petals as many, small valvate in the bud free or 

 united ; stamens indefinite usually very numerous, free or slightly connected at the very base, pod linear or oblong flat or nearly cylindrical, opening iu 2 

 valves or indehiscent ; leaves twice pinnate or in some species (Australian) reduced to a simple dilated petiole, (phylloid.) Flowers usually yellow or 

 white in globular heads or cylindrical spikes often polygamous. 



AOACIA AEABICA. (Willd.) Subarboreous, armed, branches terete glabrous, thorns stipulary sometimes long some- 

 times short or almost wanting, leaves bipinnate, pinnae about 5 pairs with a gland between the first and last pairs, leaflets 15-20 pairs 

 glabrous; peduncles aggregated axillary or forming a terminal raceme by the abortion of the leaves, heads of flowers globose yellow, 

 corol 5 cleft, stamens numerous distinct ; legumes stalked compressed thickuh contracted on both sutures between the seeds. 

 Willd. Sp. i, p. 1085 ;— W. A. Prod. p. 277 ;— Mimosa Arabica. Lam. 



This is the well known Babul tree. It is common all over India, and also inhabits Ceylon ; but I have never seen it truly wild in the forests of 

 the peninsula. Br. Stewart however mentions that it is truly indigenous in Sind. The wood is close grained, and tough, of a pale brownish red color. 

 It is used for building purposes, axles and the naves, spokes and felloes of wheels, plough shares, sugar-cane rollers, kneed timbers for ship building, 

 and many other purposes, but should be seasoned in water to exempt it from the attack of insects. It makes excellent charcoal, and is one of our best 

 trees for locomotive fuel. When seasoned it iveighs 54 lbs. the cubic foot, and its specific gravity is - S64 ; it is called. Babul and Keekar in Eindustanee, 

 Nalld toomd in Teligoo, and Kurroo vaylwn in Tamil. Tlie tree delights in black cotton soil, in which it grows very rapidly if irrigated, but it stands 

 drought better than most trees, and will grow, though of course not so rapidly, without water, and in almost any soil. It is easily raised from seed, but rats 

 often destroy the roots of the seedlings. The tree is sometimes raised from cuttings ; it will not answer well at any elevation over 3,000 or 3,500 feet. It is 

 not often seen of any great size, but trees of 9 and 10 feet girth are sometimes met with. It is being extensively raised in all our fuel plantations in the 

 plains. -- A transparent gum is procured from incisions in thebark, which is used as a substitute for the trueCrum\Arabic ; the bark is used medicinally, 

 and also as a brown dye, and to a great extent for tanning purposes, and a decoction of it makes a good substitute for soap. Thej xid and leaves are good 

 \ fodder for sheep, goats and cattle. 



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