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Botanical description.

— Species, A. prominens A. Cunn.

A. prominens (Cunningh. MMS. Loud. Hort. Brit, 407) Phyllodia divaricate, retrorsely falcate, linear-lanceolate, acute, 1-nerved, ending in a hooked mucrone, with a rather prominent gland on the upper margin at the base; heals of flowers in terminal and axillary racemes. Native of New South Wales. Phyllodia 1 1/2 inch long, and 1 1/2 line broad. (G. Don, Gen. Hist. of Dichlamydeous Plants, ii, 406, 1832.)

The reference in Loudon (1830) is

Evergreen greenhouse shrub 4 feet high. Flowers in February and June; colour of flowers yellow. A native of New Holland, introduced in 1824. Propagated from cuttings, likes sandy loamy and peat soils,

and is not adequate as a description of a species. Its date as a species is therefore 1832.

Under Bot. Mag. t. 3502 (1836) W. J. Hooker quotes Allan Cunningham's original description of Acacia prominens as follows:—

Acacia prominens; glabra, phyllodiis (sesquiuncialibus) lineari-lanceolatis acutis patentibus retrorsofalcatis rectisve uninervibus tenuissime ciliatis, mucrone subuncinato terminatis, margine antico versús basin uniglanduloso, glandulâ leviter elevatâ, racemis terminalibus axillaribusve 6-10-cephalis phyllodio pauló longioribus, capitulis (in racemo) solitariis geminisve pedicello brevioribus, floribus quinquepartitis, petalis ovato-oblongis subacuminatis, stylo staminibus parum longiore.

It is taken from Allan Cunningham's MSS. Journal dated 1817.

Hooker then describes it in the following words:—

A tall, slender shrub, often 10 feet high, of erect growth, numerously branched, the branches being smooth, greenish, and slightly angular.

Phyllodia copious alternate for the most part, 1 1/2 inches in length and 2 1/2 to 3 lines in breadth, spreading, linear-lanceolate, acute, mucronated, mucro rather hooked, towards the apex often retrorse]y falcate, with several slightly-marked veins diverging from the midrib, on the upper edge near the base is a rather prominent gland.

Flowers golden-yellow, very fragrant, formed in axillary and terminal racemes, each raceme having from six to ten heads, generally longer than the phyllodia.

Heads many-flowered, distinct, solitary, or in pairs.

Pedicels patent, very smooth, longer than the heads, having at the bases short, brown bracts.

Calyx very short, five-parted.

Petals five, ovate-oblong, subacute, erect or slightly spreading.

Stamens numerous, shorter than the style.

Stigma simple.

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He then goes on to give the following account of it:—

A charming conservatory shrub, native of New South Wales, where it inhabits barren forestgrounds, in the immediate vicinity of the Nepean River; and although it may, in its native regions, be truly said to be, like Goldsmith's village thorn, "unprofitably gray," no one caring to receive it into his garden, it nevertheless seldom fails, even there, in the month of September, when decked with blossoms, to commend itself to the notice and admiration of the passing, way-worn colonist, not less by the extreme richness and profusion of its golden flowers, than by the delicious fragrance they diffuse around. It has been several years at Kew, where it flowers annually in the months of spring; and our acknowledgments are due to Mr. Aiton for the opportunity now afforded us of publishing a figure of it.

At the end he gives a description of A. fimbriata, A. Cunn., a species which has been confused with A. prominens.

Then Bentham redescribes the species in the follovring words:—

A tall shrub, glabrous and usually glaucous, with angular branchlets.

Phyllodia from linear-lanceolate to oblong-falcate, when narrow nearly those of A. Iinifolia, but not so decidedly ciliate, more acute and the marginal gland further from the base, and passing from that to nearly those of A. Iunata, but always much thinner than the latter, with the pinnate veins as well as the gland more conspicuous, mostly 1 to 1 1/2 inch long, from 2 lines broad in the narrow form to 3, 4, or even 5 in the broad ones.

Racemes about as long as the phyllodia, with very small globular heads of about 8 to 10 or rarely 12 to 15 small flowers, mostly 5-merous.

Calyx very short, broadly lobed.

Petals smooth, or nearly so.

Pod very flat, 2 to 3 inches long when perfect, 3, 4, or rarely 5 lines broad.

Seeds longitudinal along the centre, the last fold of the funicle thickened into a fleshy clavate lateral aril, the other folds very small. (B.Fl. ii, 371.)

Mr. R. T. Baker gives a figure of this species in Proc. linn. Soc. N.S. W., xvi, 572.

He (Op. Cit., p. 573) usefully supplements Bentham's description with the following remarks:—

It is described as "a tall shrub," but it is very often to be seen over 20 feet, and not uncommonly exceeding 30 feet in height, with a diameter in proportion.

The phyllodes often extend to 2 inches, particularly in plants found in the northern districts; about 1 1/2 inch in those in the neighbourhood of Sydney, and 1 inch in southern examples.

The racemes are given by Bentham as "about as long as" the phyllodes, but I find them almost always longer in the living state. They shrink very much in drying.

The pod ("neglected by collectors in the majority of specimens gathered ") can scarcely be said to be "very flat"; it is light warm brown in colour, glabrous and rugose, measuring 1 to 3 inches long and 1/4 to 1 inch broad.

The seeds are at first transverse, but in some cases oblique and longitudinal along, the centre; they appear to change their position prior to falling.

The coloured plate (Bot. Mag., vol. lxiii, No. 3502) in no way assists to identify the species.

I will supplement Mr. Baker's observations by saying that it attains the height of over 70 feet (measured). While agreeing to the extent that Boll Mag. t. 3608 is not a very good representation, the characteristic gland is present. The flowers are usually about twelve in the head.