Acacia Drummondi

What is there to be desired in an Acacia that is not to be found in this ! Its habit, which is at once neat and compact, and its flowers, which are conspicuous and produced in profusion, at once place it in the first rank. Its leaves are bipinnate, about an inch in length, formed of three pairs of leaflets, from three-quarters to one inch long, composed of three pairs of pinnules, which are of an oblong shape, 3-10th inch long; and the petiole of both the primary leaves and leaflets is slightly extended. Flower heads oblong, about an inch long, placed on a peduncle, about the same length, produced singly. Every one who only has room enough for one Acacia should endeavor to obtain this one. The best place for it is the conservatory shelf.

Acacia Dependens

This is adapted for conservatory borders or large pots. It is of an upright growth, of a very dark color, and has linear phyllodes an inch in length. Spikes of flowers 1 ¼ inch long, of a light yellow color, and not particularly conspicuous. This is a species that can be kept to any shape by means of the knife.

Acacia Diffusa

Acacia Diffusa is suitable for pots, but it is loose in character, and requires the use of ligatures to make it assume a nice shape. It makes shoots about one foot long in a year, and furnishes them for about nine inches in length with flowers, which are produced in pairs from a single phyllode, or in fours, fives, or sixes, when a pair or three phyllodes occur close together. Peduncle about 2-5th inch in length; phyllodes linear, one inch in length; margins of the phyllodes running into a sharp point at the apex. Well worth cultivation.

Acacia Grandis

This is one of the neatest and best of the genus for pot culture, forming as it does, by simply stopping it, either a dense bush, or, with a little more attention, a fine pyramidal specimen; grown in the latter form it is certainly extremely ornamental, either on a greenhouse shelf or the margin of a conservatory border. Its leaves are pinnated, about S-5th inch in length, formed of eight pairs of leaflets, about ¼ inch long; flowers globular, produced from the axil of each leaf, either singly or in pairs; peduncle ½ inch in length. This is a plant that deserves to be in every collection.

Acacia Ixiophylla

Acacia Ixiophylla is not one of the best, but its earliness renders it worthy of cultivation. It is well suited for pot culture, making a very pretty bush under ordinary attention. Its phyllodes are linear, about 1 ½ inch long; flowers small, globular, produced singly from the axis of the phyllodes. Peduncles 3-5th inch in length.

Acacia Lineata

Acacia Lineata in all its stages makes a fine pot plant, but being of rather weak growth the use of sticks and ligatures is necessary in order to form a nice specimen. A strong plant under ordinary circumstanees will make shoots in one year from twenty inches to two feet, producing flowers daring their entire length, with the exception of an inch or two at the base. Flowers in pairs at the base of each phyllode; peduncles l-6th inch long; flower-heads globular, small, of a bright orange yellow; phyllodes 2-5th inch long, linear, with the upper margin rounded at the apex and forming a point One of the earliest and best of the Acacias.

Acacia Longiflora Major

This is a neat kind for a small conservatory border; for when in blossom its bright yellow oblong flower-heads render it a most conspicuous object Phyllodes linear-lanceolate, four inches long, and 2-5th inch across at the widest part; flower-heads about 1 ¼ inch long, sessile, in pairs, diverging right and left from the axils of the phyllodes, and produced for about eight inches along the branches. Habit upright, thin of branches, and inclined to become straggling when well flowered. This is a splendid Acacia, but being difficult to propagate there are but few plants of it in the country.

Acacia Lophantha

Acacia Lophantha is best suited for the border of a large conservatory, where it is much esteemed, not for the sake of the flowers, (for they are produced but sparingly) but for its fine spreading foliage, consisting of leaves nine inches long and five inches wide, formed of ten pairs of leaflet*, and each leaflet composed of from fourteen to twenty pairs of pinnules. Pinnules half an inch in length, and one-eighth inch wide; flower heads solitary, of an oblong shape, from 1 ½ inch to two inches long; and of a light color; peduncle about three inches long. The knife must hot be used for this plant.

Acacia Mucronata

This species is well adapted for conservatory borders; its phyllodes are two inches long, being twice the length of those of dependens; but in all other respects they are similar.

Acacia Nigricans

Acacia Nigricans has much the appearance of grandis, but close inspection will at once show the difference, for instead of eight pairs of leaflets constituting a leal; there is but one pair in this species. Leaves bipinnate; leaflets formed of five pairs of pinnules, which are one-sixth of an inch long; flower heads globular, produced.in pairs from the axis of the leaves; peduncle half an inch long. A very good plant for a pot, but better adapted for the margin of a conservatory border.

Acacia Pubescens

This is a' neat plant for a pot or small conservatory border, being rather delicate and much inclined to assume the umbrella shape. Stem pubescent Leaves bipinnate, about 1 ½ inch long, primary leaflets about 3-5ths inch long, of which eight pairs constitute the lead Leaflets formed of twelve pairs of pinnules of about l-10th inch long; racemes produced singly from the axis of the leaves, about three inches long; flowers globular, small, yellow. A rather slow growing species, which will not stand pruning.

Acacia Pulchella

Acacia Pulchella is best adapted for the margin of conservatory borders, or for the center of a circular bed which is to be filled with dwarf plants; for by means of the knife you have free control over its shape and habit; its height is from six to seven feet, and it forms as dense and compact a bush as any plant with which I am acquainted. Leaves about l-5th inch long, formed of four pairs of leaflets, which are 1-10th inch each in length. Flowers globular, small yellow, produced singly, and furnished with a spine on each side of its base. Peduncle 2-5ths inch long. For a low bush, in a conservatory border, this stands almost unequalled.