NOTES ON ACACIA. 



253 



A clue to the identity of the above two species (in Mr. 

 Fitzgerald's mind), is given in the following specimen 

 (phyllodes and twigs only, but the material is quite unmis- 

 takable), labelled by him : — 



"Acacia cyperophylla P.v.M. (with cyperophylla struck 

 out and palustris substituted). Erect with crooked stem 

 and curly bark, 10 feet high. 'Snakewood.' Murchison 

 Goldflelds, September, 1903." 



What the plant is, described in paragraph one as A. 

 cyperophylla, one cannot say. Certainly A, Grasbyi in 

 part, but certainly not the true A, cyperophylla F.v.M. > 

 see Part lx of my "Forest Flora of New South Wales." 



Diels and Pritzel say, "A. palustris Luehmann (nomen 

 ineptum). Shrub up to 2*5 metres high, the bark coming 

 away in twisted or curly flakes. In the Austin district 

 near Cue, in muddy and stony soil. Flowering in June (D. 

 3276). (Eagler's Bot. Jahrb. xxxv, 308)." A. Grasbyi is 

 doubtless referred to. 



The new species has therefore been confused with A. 

 cyperophylla F.v.M. and A. palustris Luehmann. A. 

 Grasbyi appears to be closest to A, cyperophylla F.v.M., a 

 species I have carefully defined and illustrated in Part lx 

 of my "Forest Flora of New South Wales." I will take 

 the opportunity of indicating the principal differences 

 between A. Grasbyi and both species. 



A. cyperophylla is a broom-like bush; A. Grasbyi is more 

 spreading and round-headed. The phyllodes of A. Grasbyi 

 are short, averaging 4-5 cm. long, while those of A. 

 cyperophylla are 15-25 cm. long. The flower-spikes have 

 much longer peduncles than those of A* cyperophylla. The 

 flowers do not differ in important characters from those of 

 A. cyperophylla; these differences may be stated as follows: 

 The calyx is rather larger in A. Grasbyi, and is hairy at 

 the base. The petals of A. Grasbyi are united about half 



