69 
No. 88. 
Acacia penninervis, Sieb. 
The Mountain Hickory. 
(Family LEGUMINOSvE: MIMOSA.) 
Botanical description.— Genus, Acacia. (See Part XV, p. 103.) 
Botanical description. —Species, penninervis, Sieb., in DC. Prod, ii, 452. 
A tree attaining sometimes 40 feet (and may attain nearly twice this height), hut usually 
smaller, glabrous in all its parts in the common variety, with angular branchlets. 
rhyllodia from oblong to lanceolate falcate, more or less acuminate, usually 3 to 4 inches long, 
but sometimes twice that length, much narrowed towards the base, 1-nerved and more or 
less prominently and finely penni-veined, the margins usually nervedike, and often but not 
always a short secondary nerve terminating in a marginal gland, much below the middle. 
Racemes rather short but loose, with several small globular heads of about 20 flowers, mostly 
5-merous. 
Calyx truncate or shortly toothed, not half so long as the corolla. 
Petals smooth. 
Pod flat, straight, or curved, with slightly thickened margins, often 4 or 5 inches long, nearly 
\ in. broad. 
Seeds ovate, longitudinal : funicle long, dilated and coloured nearly from the base, extending 
round the seed and bent back on the same side, so as to encircle it in a double fold. 
(B.F1. ii., 362.) 
Under this name several forms are included, and I have recently been 
enabled to clear them up through the receipt of specimens of the types concerned 
from Kew. The typical form has often hardly falcate phyllodes, usually small, 
short, and often narrow, pale or yellowish green. The pods are often markedly 
reticulate. Most commonly a dry country shrub or small tree. 
If we turn to Allan Cunningham’s MS. Journal, under date 14th August, 
1817, we find the entry :— 
“ Acacia impressa .—A new sp. with leaves ovate oblong, veined, and one-glanded on the interior 
margin which is sunk deeply. Frequent on the rocky hills.” (He was then approaching Bathurst from 
the west, in Oxley’s Expedition.) 
Then W. J. Hooker figured the plant as t. 2754 of the Botanical Magazine, 
the plate being dated 1st July, 1827. He called it “A. penninervis, the Feather- 
leaved Acacia” and gives “ Acacia impressa, Ilort. ” as a synonym. 
Lindley also figured in the Botanical Register, t. 1115 as “ Acacia impressa, 
the Bastard Sickle-leaved Acacia ” and gives a description in Latin, llis plate is 
dated 1st November, 1827. No synonymy is given. 
B 
