NOTES ON ACACIA. 



265 



The type of A. Oldfieldii came from the Murchison River 

 "in rather dry places," and was collected by Oldfield. 



A. signata F.v.M., Fragm. iv, 7. 

 In B. Fl. ii, 404, Bentham says " Foliage of A. acuminata, 

 but the fruit different." 



There has been a good deal of confusion in Australia in 

 regard to A. signata, and I am inclined to think that 

 Bentham had wrong, or poor, material before him. (The 

 type consists of phyllodes and pods only). First of all let 

 me re-describe the plant from ample and fresh material. 



Small tree, about 15 feet high, with branchlets sub- 

 angular towards their extremities, round when older, the 

 young branchlets and pods slightly glaucous. 



Phyllodia linear-lanceolate, slightly falcate 10 — 14 cm. 

 (say 4 — 5i inches) long, and 5 mm. broad, tapering slightly 

 into a dark-coloured curved, moderately sharp apex, moder- 

 ately thick, with numerous fine parallel nerves, the central 

 one more prominent. With thin nerve-like margins, reddish 

 in colour, like the branchlets. 



Flowers in short pedunculate spikes, the spikes 1 — 1*5 cm. 

 long, and the peduncles about 1 cm. The spikes sometimes 

 so short as to be almost ovoid; 5-merous. 



Calyx matted with white hairs, sepals free nearly to the 

 base, not quite half as long as the corolla. Petals glabrous, 

 free, very thin, separating about half way down, the tips 

 somewhat thickened. Pistil silky pubescent. Pods shortly 

 stipitate, linear, slightly falcate, about 11 cm. long by 5 

 mm. broad, glaucous; the rather small, ovoid, flattish seeds 

 longitudinally arranged, and pendulous when ripe; areole 

 oblong, the funicle very narrow, soon passing with one or 

 two folds, into a crumpled, broad ribbon-like mass termin- 

 ating in a cup-shaped arillus. 



