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392 E. C. ANDREWS. 
Acacia is divided into six sections by Bentham. Of 
these, the Gummifere represents the uniform primary type 
diffused widely throughout the tropical world. Vulgares 
contains more species than Gummiferze and occurs in 
America, Asia, and Africa, but notin Australia. Filicinee 
occurs only in tropical America, and contains but several 
species. Botryocephale and Pulchelle are both endemic 
in Australia, as also Phyllodinee, the latter with rare out- 
posts in the neighbouring islands. Of the seven hundred 
species recorded for the genus, Phyllodineze contains over 
four hundred. Botryocephale and Pulchelle are small 
sections, but Gummifere and Vulgares are both large. The 
former predominates in the old and the latter in the new 
world. 
Gummifere possesses persistent spinescent stipules and 
the leaves are bipinnate. The section has been split again 
into three series by Bentham, namely, into Summibracteatz, 
Medibracteatze, and Basibracteatee. 
The first of these series possesses exterior bracts in an 
annular connate ring and the flowers are in globose heads. 
The types may be cosmopolitan as A. Farnesiana, others 
are endemic in America, Africa, or Asia. 
The second possesses connate bracts in a ring round the 
involucre, toothed, and rarely absent. Flowers in globose 
heads, rarely ovoid. These occur throughout the tropical 
and subtropical world. <A. suberosa, A. Bidwilli, and A. 
pallida are types endemic in Australia. 
The third series has peduncles with small stipitate basal 
bracts. The flowers are in spikes which may be cylindrical 
or elongate, rarely globose. The species occur in America, 
Africa, and Asia, but have not been recorded from 
Australia. 
The Vulgares are trees or shrubs with non-spinescent ~ 
stipules. Prickles scattered to rare, or even absent. 
