THE WATTLES. 
41 
of our Acacias are called Mimosa in Great Britain 
and on the Continent ; it is to be hoped that this term 
will be dropped, and that these plants will be known 
by their correct name of Acacia, or by the more 
happy Australian term “Wattles.” In some locali- 
ties distinct species of Acacia are known by various 
names, such as Blackwood, Myall, Lightwood, 
Hickory, Mulga, etc.; but generally these terms are 
too vague to be reliable, and sometimes the same 
species has various common names which are reversed 
and given to other species in other districts. Fre- 
quently Acacia melanoxylon, the ‘ ‘ blaekwood, ' ’ is 
called the “lightwood,” a name which is more often 
given to Acacia implexa. 
The Acacias present many forms of flowers and of 
foliage. They may be separated into two main 
groups, according to the forms of the foliage, one 
having fern-like or feathery foliage, and the other 
having flattened or rounded “leaves.” These latter 
are not true leaves, but are flattened or rounded leaf- 
stalks called phyllodes. The former section is known 
as the “bipinnate” section, in allusion to the leaflets 
doubly forming rows in a feather-like arrangement. 
All wattles have the bipinnate leaves when they 
are young plants, but sooner or later the phyllodinous 
section lose this form and the leaves develop into 
phyllodes. Examples of these may be recognised in 
the Golden Wattle, which is a “phyllodinous” wattle, 
and the Silver Wattle which belongs to the bipinnate 
section. 
Then again. Wattles naturally fall into two groups 
according to their flower formation. The flowers are 
