464 J. H. MAIDEN. 



the descriptions being published in and out of Australia, 

 and material has accumulated in the National Herbarium 

 of New South Wales that demanded attention. We have, 

 in addition to New South Wales plants, some of which 

 have been dealt with in this paper, a quantity of material 

 from Western and Northern Australia, some of which 

 promises to be interesting. The species from the Northern 

 Territory are being dealt with for Professor Ewart's Flora 

 of that area. 



There is much work to be done in regard to the revision 

 of many species, and this work, as well as the description 

 of species deemed to be new, may, it is hoped, lead to a 

 better grasp of the facts concerning the largest genus of 

 Australian plants. Perhaps this work may culminate in 

 suggested improvements in affinities and therefore of 

 classification. 



I have not absolutely correct figures in regard to Aus- 

 tralian species, or even New South Wales; indeed, it is one 

 of the great objects of this research to obtain evidence on 

 these points, but the following figures are approximate: — 

 New South Wales 128, Rest of Australia 283, Total for 

 Australia 411 (1910). Bentham (B. Fl. ii, 1864), gave the 

 number for Australia as 293; Mueller in 1889 (Second 

 Census) 313. 



In the Engler-Gilg "Syllabus der Pflanzen-familien" 

 (1912) we have the estimate of the World's Acacias as 500, 

 of which there are about 280 Phyllodineae in Australia and 

 the Islands. 



About two-thirds of all known Acacias are Australian. 

 Section i, (Phyllodinese) is the largest, and is confined to 

 Australia with the exception of a few North Australian 

 species, which extend to Papua and some of the Pacific 

 Islands (Greater Australia, in fact). The Acacias of all 

 Other sections have bipinnate leaves. 



