ACACIA. 



2 



ACANTHUS. 



with drooping branches, pinnate leaves, 

 and the ball-like flowers disposed in 

 racemes ; A. nigricans, with black- 

 ish green foliage ; A. verticillata, 

 with the leaves like spines, and dis- 

 posed in whorls; A. lophdnlha, with 

 pinnate leaves, and long spike-like 

 whitish flowers; A. dealbata Cun- 

 ningham, the A. affinis of some, re- 

 markable for the delicacy of its 

 foliage, and the whitish bloom which 

 covers its trunk and branches ; and 

 A. melonoxylon, the Black wood, or 

 Black Wattle of the Australians, the 

 dilated petioles or phvllodia of which 

 look like leaves, with the real leaves, 

 which are pinnate, attached to their 

 extremities. Of the other kinds of 

 Acacia, the hardiest are A. acantho- 

 cdrpa, a native of Mexico, with pale 

 pink flowers and spiny pods ; and A. 

 Julibrissin, the silk tree, a native of 

 Persia, and one of the most beautiful 

 small trees that can be imagined : the 

 flowers are like long silk tassels, and 

 they vary from a pale pink, or rose 

 colour, to a delicate lilac ; but they 

 seldom attain perfection in the open 

 air in England for want of heat in our 

 summers, though they are extremely 

 beautiful in Italy. Of the stove 

 species, the handsomest are A. spe- 

 cibsa, A. grandiflbra, A. Hous- 

 tbni, and A. scdndens ; and they 

 should all be kept in the coolest and 

 most airy part of the stove. A. vera, 

 the Gum Arabic tree, A. Catechu, 

 from the unripe pods of which is made 

 the substance called terra japonica, and 

 A. Senegal, the Gum Senegal tree, 

 are only interesting for their products. 



All the kiuds of Acacia require to 

 be grown in sandy loam, or in a mix- 

 ture of sand, or peat, and leaf mould, 

 well drained. They are generally 

 propagated by imported seeds, (though 

 some of the species have ripened seed 

 in this country,) and the seeds are 

 sometimes two, or even three, years in 

 the ground before they come up. 



To hasten their vegetation, they may 

 be steeped in very hot water, and left 

 in the water for several days, or in 

 oxalic acid and water, and sometimes 

 even boiled ; and when prepared by 

 any of these modes, they will gene- 

 rally come up in about a week or a 

 fortnight. Acacias may also be pro- 

 pagated by cuttings ; but as these are 

 rather difficult to strike, they should 

 be put into a pot filled with pure 

 white sand, covered closely with a 

 bell-glass, and then plunged into a 

 hotbed. The tenderer species may 

 also be grafted on A. dealbata, A. 

 lophdntha, and A. melonoxylon, 

 which appear to be the hardiest kinds. 

 All these three species will generally 

 spring up again from the root, when 

 killed down to the ground by frost ; 

 and whenever this is the case, it indi- 

 cates that the plants may be propa- 

 gated by cuttings of the roots, which 

 is frequently done with these Acacias. 

 All the roots of the Australian species 

 smell like garlic, and this smell is 

 very perceptible on entering a room 

 where any of these plants are kept, if 

 it has been shut up for a few days. 

 For this reason, when Acacias are 

 kept in a greenhouse adjoining the 

 living rooms of a house, care should 

 be taken to give the bouse abundance 

 of ventilation ; and this is also very 

 conducive to the health of the plants. 



Aca x cia. — See Robinia, Mimosa, 

 and Inga. 



Aca'nthus — AcanthacecB. — Per- 

 ennial plants, natives of the warm 

 parts of Europe, two of which, A. 

 mollis and A. spinbsus, deserve a 

 place in every collection from their 

 stately appearance, and from the 

 legend of their leaves having given 

 the first idea of the capital of the 

 Corinthian order of architecture. All 

 the kinds of Acanthus require a sandy 

 soil, and a good deal of room ; and 

 they are all readily increased by divi- 

 sion of the rootj and by seeds. The 



