129 
Exudations. —The exudation of gum in this species is rare. 
Size. —Up to 20 or 30 feet, with a diameter of, say, a foot. 
Habitat. —This tree appears to be confined to the drier parts of New South 
Wales and Queensland. It has been found across the Darling, and I should not 
be surprised to hear of its occurrence in South Australia. In our own State some of 
its most eastern localities are Willow Tree, near Mudgee, and Narrabri. Records of 
its occurrence as far east as possible would he valuable. 
As a rule it is a sign of good land. It grows on the heavier soils of the west, 
as Oxley long ago pointed out. In the following passage he is referring to our 
tree :— 
The Acacia brushes grow generally on a hard and clayey soil evidently frequently covered with 
water, and I consider that these plains or brushes are swamps or morasses in wet weather, since they must 
receive all the water from the low ranges with which they are generally circumscribed.* 
Propagation. —In some seasons it produces large quantities of pods, and the 
germination of the seed is attended with no particular difficulty. In view of the 
value of this tree for stock-fodder, and of the fact that it is gradually becoming 
scarce, it would appear to be a public duty for pastoralists and others to fence in at 
least a few trees, so as to enable them to mature their pods and propagate their kind. 
If this be not done the tree may eventually be in danger of becoming extinct, as the 
seedlings are readily eaten out by stock, and no young trees are, therefore, in 
many districts, coming forward to replace the ofd ones. The Mistletoe pest is also 
destroying it. 
EXPLANATION OF PLATE 61. 
a. Flowering branch. 
b Bud. 
c. Flower. 
D. Portion of expanded flower showing— 
(a) Calyx. 
(b) Petal. 
(c) Stamens. 
(d) Pistil. 
(e) Stigma. 
e. Sepal. 
F. Petal. 
G. Stamens. 
H. Pistil. 
K. Pods. 
l. Seed (enlarged). 
The flowers from Coolabah, N.S.W. The fruits from Miss Officer, Zara, vid Hay. 
The photo, of the tree is from Gilgandra (R. H. Cambage). The dark masses of foliage are those of 
a mistletoe (Loranthus pendulus, Sieb.) which infests it, and is destroying it. The tree is rather an old 
one, and it is often more densely foliaged. See page 128. 
Oxley, op. cit. p. 44, 
