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ACACIA VESTITA. 
(Cunningham's acacia.) 
CLASS. 
ORDER. 
POLYGAMIA. 
MONCECIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 
LEGUMINOS^. 
Generic Character. — Flowers polygamous. Calyx four or five toothed. Corolla of five petals, 
Stamens very numerous, frequently from 10 to 200 in each flower. Legumes dry, two-valved. 
Specific Character. — An evergreen greenhouse shrub, from four to six feet high. Stem hispid, as are 
also the leaves, branching. Phyllodia * half elliptic, lanceolate, one-nerved, terminating in a point 
(mucronate). Flowers produced in immense numbers upon loosely racemose spikes, of a bright 
yellow colour. 
This species was discovered in the interior of New Holland, by Mr. Cunning- 
ham, who transmitted seeds to this country some years ago, and plants were brought 
to flower, for the first time, in the conservatory of the Comtesse de Vandes, at 
Bayswater. 
Every one knows how highly ornamental the New Holland species of Acacia 
are in our greenhouses and conservatories, the greater part of them displaying 
their gold, orange, purple and white coloured blossoms, from the middle of winter 
to the latter end of April or May : and, perhaps, in no species is the yellow colour 
more resplendent than in the one we have figured. The flowers, which are set 
in such dense numbers on the peduncles as often totally to conceal the leaves 
and branches, first begin to develope their globular stamen-like heads about the 
middle of April, and continue till June. When fully blown they resemble a mass 
of collected yellow stamens and anthers, from the midst of which, here and there 
peeps forth the whole or a portion of a green leaf, and a short length of the stem or 
stalk, which relieves the dense cluster^ and adds a tint that improves the whole in 
general appearance. 
All who admire beautiful and easy flowering plants, should possess this species ; 
it may be obtained for a trifling cost at any of the London, and most of the country 
* Phyllodia, dilated petiole, with the consistence of a leaf. 
VOL. III. NO. XXXI. 
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