NAT. ORDER. 
LeguminoscB. 
ACACIA PRENSANS. PRICKLY ACACIA. 
Class XXIII. PoLYGAMiA. Order I. Monoecia. 
Qm. Char. Stem climbing, erect, stout. Leaves feathery. Petioles 
velvety, or downy. Leaflets numerous. 
Spe. Char. Stipules deciduous. Peduncles unarmed. Plowers 
sessile. Calyx pubescent, shining, cylindrical. Petals four to 
• six. 
This is a climbing shrub, of external, rapid, and luxuriant growth, 
and remarkably elegant and delicate foliage ; the stem is erect and 
stout, but not thicker than the arm, and covered with a dark-brown 
bark ; the bra7iches are smooth, round, and ash-colored below ; ex- 
cessively elongated, climbing, and clinging tenaciously to every thing 
within their reach by their copious, small hooked prickles, of extra- 
ordinary rapid growth, quickly reaching to the top of any lofty tree 
ivithin their neighborhood, which if unchecked, they soon, by their 
luxuriance, completely over-run ; sulcated towards the ends, which 
with all other parts of the plant, while young, are densely but minute- 
ly pubescent, or rather velvety, and of a rich tawny, or golden ferrug- 
inous color ; the leaves are very beautiful, and feathery, of a bright 
green, subdeflexed, and five or six inches long ; j^etioles about an 
inch long, with a sugary gland below the middle, velvety or downy 
like the rachides, which have from two to four similar glands be- 
tween the ultimate pairs of pinnce — the lowest however, placed 
always a little below the origin of the pinnce ; the petioles are gen- 
Vol. iv.— 146. 
