292 



as being " of good quality," in Bull. Imp. Inst. vi. 1908, pp. 48, 49, 

 and in Col. Rep. Misc. No. 63, 1909, p. 153, under Acacia Caffra. 

 since Dudgeon's No. 58 was at one time referred to this species. 



Acacia Farnesiana, Willd. ; Fl. Trop. Afr. II. p. 346. 



III. — Lam. Encycl. t. 846, f. 1 {Mimosa Farnesiana) ; Duhamel, 

 Traite des Arbres, ii. t. 28 {Mimosa Farnesiana) ; Desc. Ant. i. t. 1 

 {Mimosa Farnesiana) ; Wight, Ic. PI. Ind. Or. i. t. 300 {Vacliellia 

 Farnesiana) ; Bedd. Fl. Sylv. t. 52 ; Bentham, Mimoseae, Trans. 

 Linn. Soc. xxx. t. 69 (pods) ; Piesse, Art Perfum. p. 107 ; Sargent, 

 Silv. N. America, iii. t. 141 ; Rchb. Ic. Fl. Germ. t. 2052, ft. 1-8. 



Vernac. names. — Bonni (Iwaraja, S. Nigeria, Foster) ; [Opoponax 

 (S. U. States) ; Haisache (Texas) ; Aromo (Philippines, Guam) 

 Safford] ; Cassie (French). — Black Thorn, Farnesian Cassia. 



Iwaraja, S. Nigeria (Foster, No. 179, 1907, Herb. Kew) ; banks of 

 Gurara river, N. Nigeria (Elliott, No. 184, 1906, Herb. Kew). Widely 

 distributed in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the World. 



A choice perfume is obtained from the flowers, usually called 

 " Cassie," for which purpose it is cultivated chiefly in the south of 

 Europe, especially on the Riviera. The perfume is obtained either 

 by distillation or by the "enfleurage" process — absorption of the 

 perfume in olive-oil or specially prepared fat. 



A gum is obtained from the tree, which has been, compared with 

 that of A. arabica as a second-grade product among the gums of 

 commerce (Col. Rep. Misc. No. 63, 1909, pp. 158, 160). 



The pods are used in the preparation of a black-dye in Angola, 

 with which the natives stain the cloths called "Mabella" or 

 " Mabela," made from Palm-leaves (Hiern, Cat. Welw. Afr. PI. i. 

 p. 194) ; and a decoction of them is used in Mexico for making ink 

 (Sargent, Silva, N. America, iii. p. 120) ; pounded and boiled in 

 water, and used to blacken leather (West Indian Bull. ix. 1909, 

 p. 329). 



The wood is very hard and tough ; used for ship's knees, tent- 

 pegs, ploughs, &c. (Beddome, Fl. Sylv. t. 52) ; for posts — very 

 durable under ground — and for cabinet work (West Indian Bull. I.e.) ; 

 weight, 49-71 lbs. per cubic foot (Gamble, Man. Ind. Timb. p. 292). 



May be propagated by seed, which germinates better after soaking. 

 Raised in nurseries, they can be planted out in permanent places 

 when strong enough, about 12 ft. apart. A fairly rich, deep, well- 

 drained soil, and exposure to full sunlight are essential conditions. 

 The trees (in Cannes) begin to bear flowers after the third year, and 

 each tree when full grown (about 12 ft. high) produces about two 

 pounds weight of flowers, — two kilos, of which will perfume one 

 kilo, of grease (Piesse, Art Perfum. p. 108). 



Growing as a low tree, Guarara river, N. Nigeria (Elliott, Herb. 

 Kew), a thorny shrub 4 to 5 ft. high in dry places, Accra (Brown, 

 Herb. Kew) ; tree 30 to 40 ft. high in damp places, Victoria Falls 

 (Allen, Herb. Kew) ; at an altitude of 4500 ft. Uganda (Dawe, Herb. 

 Kew) ; a tree 12 ft. high in moist argillaceous soil, at an altitude of 

 900 ft., Stanley Pool, Congo (Hens, No. 8, Herb. Kew). Makes a 

 good hedge plant if kept well cut, and cultivated generally for 

 decorative purposes. The tree does not appear to be of much 

 importance for perfumery outside the South of France. 



Ref. — " Cassie {Acacia Farnesiana)" in The Art of Perfumery, 

 Piesse, pp. 106-110 (Longmans, Green & Co., London, 1879). 



