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Wattles vary much in size when full grown. Some tiny species hardly 
exceed 3 or 4 inches in height, and may he crushed like the grass of the field. Most 
of them are shrubs, or trees of moderate size, while at least two species attain the 
stature of large forest trees, both of them being found to measure up to nearly 4 feet 
in diameter, while one has been found to attain a height of over 100 feet, and the 
other the extraordinary height of 150 feet. 
As lias been already hinted, the Wattle may reasonably be looked upon as a 
national Australian plant, and hence it would behove hoys and girls to set about the 
very pleasant task of studying it. The structure of the flowers, pods, and phyllodia 
should he made out from actual examination of a twig; this will impress the 
subject on one’s memory better than endless reading of descriptions. 
The Wattle is essentially a flower of winter or early spring, and its cultivation 
is easy. It brightens up our gardens and roadsides at a season when there are few 
other flowers, and no flowers are more effective than yellow ones. When these facts 
are realised we shall see more Wattles adorning the homes of this bright sunny land 
than we do at present, for they are themselves an emblem of sunshine. 
Botanical Name. — Acacia (already dealt with); melanoxylon ; this is from 
two Greek words signifying “ black wood,” and Robert Brown, the botanist, who 
adopted this designation, simply translated the commonly accepted Australian name. 
Vernacular Names. —It is called ££ Blackwood ” on account of the very 
dark colour of the mature wood. In Captain P. P. King’s work, Allan Cunningham 
refers to it as the ££ Black-hearted Wattle ” or ££ Native Ash.” It is also called 
££ Lightwood ” in Tasmania, Victoria, and southern New South Wales; but the 
origin of the term, even amongst many people who use it, is not always clear. An 
explanation often given is that since the great majority of the useful timbers of 
Australia and Tasmania are heavy, the name is simply to draw attention to its 
comparative weight. This explanation is, however, untenable. The Blackwood has 
rather a wide sapwood, up to 4 inches, and this is very light in colour,—almost 
white ; so that, on removing the hark from a Blackwood, a man would at once come 
across this very light-coloured wood, hence the name ££ Lightwoodand this is how 
a good many people explain it. I think, however, the explanation simply is that 
pale-coloured Blackwood is called Lightwood. A Blackwood which has grown 
rapidly has often timber paler in colour, and more porous than the standard 
Blackwood, and would he called Lightwood. Anyhow, the fact remains that 
Blackwood and Lightwood are absolutely identical from a botanical standpoint, and 
differ only on account of differences in soil and climate. While on the subject of 
the pale sapwood, Mr. Baeuerlen informed me that, years ago, an old man, in the 
Braidwood district, displayed great skill in cutting it into very thin strips, which he 
used to fashion into baskets of various kinds, and these had a ready sale. The old 
