Acronychia acidula

Last updated

Lemon aspen
Acronychia acidula.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Acronychia
Species:
A. acidula
Binomial name
Acronychia acidula
Synonyms [1]
  • Acronychia superba Domin
  • Jambolifera acidula(F.Muell.)Kuntze
Fruit Acronychia acidula fruit.jpg
Fruit

Acronychia acidula, commonly known as lemon aspen or lemon wood, [2] is a species of small to medium-sized rainforest tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has simple, elliptical leaves, small groups of flowers in leaf axils and more or less spherical fruit. The aromatic and acidic fruit is harvested as a bushfood.

Contents

Description

Acronychia acidula is a tree that typically grows to a height of about 27 m (89 ft). It has simple, elliptical, glabrous leaves that are 80–235 mm (3.1–9.3 in) long and 43–120 mm (1.7–4.7 in) wide on a petiole 20–70 mm (0.79–2.76 in) long. The crushed leaves often have an odour resembling that of mango ( Mangifera indica ). The flowers are arranged in groups 30–100 mm (1.2–3.9 in) long, in leaf axils or between the leaves, each flower on a glabrous pedicel 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) long. The four sepals are 2–2.5 mm (0.079–0.098 in) long and the four petals 7–8.5 mm (0.28–0.33 in) long. The eight stamens alternate in length. The fruit is a fleshy, more or less spherical drupe 13–16 mm (0.51–0.63 in) long and the seeds are about 4.5 mm (0.18 in) long. [2] [3]

Taxonomy

Acronychia acidula was first formally described in 1864 by Victorian state botanist Ferdinand von Mueller in Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae from specimens collected by John Dallachy in the Seaview Range near Rockingham Bay. [4] [5] Its species name acidula is Latin "slightly acid". [6]

Distribution and habitat

Lemon aspen grows in rainforest at altitudes of up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) from the Atherton Tableland to the Eungella Range in Queensland. [2]

Ecology

The fruit are eaten by the topknot pigeon (Lopholaimus antarcticus). [7]

Uses

Lemon aspen fruit has a grapefruit and lime-like flavor, and is popular in beverages, sauces and confectionery. The fruit has high antioxidant activity. [8]

Cultivation

The tree is grown in small-scale commercial bushfood orchards on the east coast of Australia from North Queensland to northern New South Wales. The tree is quick-growing and requires regular pruning to maintain a practical harvesting height. It has a moderate crop yield, and bears in four years from seedlings. It prefers well-drained and fertile clay loam soils, with a sunny aspect and extra moisture when young. [6]

Cultural references

Lemon aspen featured on an Australian postage stamp in 2019. [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>Eucalyptus cloeziana</i> Species of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus cloeziana, commonly known as Gympie messmate or dead finish, is a species of tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has rough, flaky to fibrous bark on its trunk, smooth bark above, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves that are much paler on the lower side, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and hemispherical fruit.

<i>Acronychia oblongifolia</i> Species of tree

Acronychia oblongifolia, commonly known as white aspen or yellow wood, is a species of shrub to medium-sized rainforest tree of the citrus family, Rutaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It has mostly simple, egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, small groups of creamy-white flowers and fleshy, more or less spherical, edible fruit.

<i>Acronychia littoralis</i> Species of flowering plant

Acronychia littoralis, commonly known as the scented acronychia, is a species of small tree that is endemic to eastern coastal Australia. It has simple, glabrous, elliptic to egg-shaped leaves, small groups of yellow flowers and egg-shaped to more or less spherical creamy-yellow fruit.

<i>Acronychia octandra</i> Species of tree

Acronychia octandra, commonly known as doughwood, silver birch or soapwood, is a species of rainforest tree that is endemic to eastern coastal areas of Australia. It has mostly trifoliate leaves with elliptic to egg-shaped leaflets, greenish-white flowers arranged in groups in leaf axils and fleshy fruit of four carpels fused at the base.

<i>Acronychia wilcoxiana</i> Species of tree

Acronychia wilcoxiana, commonly known as silver aspen, doughwood, snowwood or mushyberry, is a species of small rainforest tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has simple, elliptical to egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, relatively large groups of whitish flowers in leaf axils and broadly oval to more or less spherical, white fruit.

<i>Melicope bonwickii</i> Species of tree

Melicope bonwickii, commonly known as the yellow evodia or yellow corkwood, is a species of tree in the family Rutaceae and is native to Java and the Philippines, and southward to New Guinea and north-eastern Australia. It has trifoliate leaves and small pink flowers borne in panicles in leaf axils.

<i>Halfordia</i> Genus of trees

Halfordia is a genus of plants in the family Rutaceae containing the single species Halfordia kendack commonly known as kerosenewood, southern ghittoe or saffronheart, is a rainforest plant that is native to eastern Australia, New Guinea and New Caledonia. It is a shrub or tree with elliptical to egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, panicles of white, greenish white or yellowish flowers and purple to bluish black, spherical to oval fruit.

<i>Leptospermum brachyandrum</i> Australian species of plant

Leptospermum brachyandrum is a species of shrub or small tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has smooth bark, linear to lance-shaped leaves and white flowers and usually grows along creeks, often in water.

Acronychia aberrans, commonly known as acid berry, lemon aspen, plasticine tree or plasticene aspen, is a species of medium-sized rainforest tree that is endemic to north-eastern Queensland. It has simple leaves on stems that are more or less square in cross-section, flowers in small groups in leaf axils and fleshy, more or less spherical fruit.

<i>Acronychia acronychioides</i> Species of flowering plant

Acronychia acronychioides, commonly known as white aspen, is a species of small to medium-sized rainforest tree that is endemic to north-eastern Queensland. It has trifoliate leaves with elliptic to egg-shaped leaflets on stems that are more or less cylindrical, creamy yellow flowers in large groups in leaf axils and fleshy, pear-shaped or spherical fruit.

<i>Acronychia acuminata</i> Species of flowering plant

Acronychia acuminata, commonly known as Thornton aspen, is a species of shrub or small rainforest tree that is endemic to north-eastern Queensland. It has simple leaves on stems that are more or cylindrical, flowers in small groups in leaf axils and fleshy, oval to spherical fruit.

<i>Acronychia crassipetala</i> Species of flowering plant

Acronychia crassipetala, commonly known as crater aspen, is a species of small rainforest tree that is endemic to north-eastern Queensland. It has simple, elliptic to egg-shaped leaves on cylindrical stems, flowers in small groups, and fleshy, more or less spherical fruit.

Acronychia eungellensis, commonly known as Eungella aspen, is a species of small rainforest tree that is endemic to a restricted area in east-central Queensland. It has simple, elliptic leaves on cylindrical stems, flowers in small groups in leaf axils, and fleshy fruit that is elliptic to egg-shaped in outline.

<i>Acronychia imperforata</i> Species of flowering plant

Acronychia imperforata, commonly known as Logan apple, Fraser Island apple, or green tree, is a species of rainforest shrub or small tree that is endemic to north-eastern Australia. It has simple, elliptical to egg-shaped leaves, small groups of yellowish or creamy white flowers and fleshy spherical to oval fruit.

<i>Acronychia parviflora</i> Species of flowering plant

Acronychia parviflora is a species of shrub or small rainforest tree that is endemic to north-eastern Queensland. It has simple, egg-shaped to elliptical leaves, flowers arranged singly or in small groups in leaf axils and fleshy, more or less spherical fruit.

<i>Acronychia vestita</i> Species of flowering plant

Acronychia vestita, commonly known as white aspen, lemon aspen, hairy aspen or fuzzy lemon aspen, is a species of rainforest tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has simple, elliptic to egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, flowers arranged in relatively large groups, mostly in leaf axils and fleshy, pear-shaped to more or less spherical fruit.

<i>Medicosma fareana</i> Species of tree

Medicosma fareana, commonly known as white aspen, is a species of rainforest small tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to north Queensland. It has elliptical leaves and white or cream-coloured flowers borne singly or in small groups in leaf axils.

<i>Melicope xanthoxyloides</i> Species of tree

Melicope xanthoxyloides is a species of small tree in the family Rutaceae and is native to New Guinea and Queensland. It has trifoliate leaves and small green to yellow or cream-coloured flowers arranged in panicles in leaf axils.

Elaeocarpus ruminatus, commonly known as brown quandong, caloon or grey quandong, is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is endemic to Queensland. It is a tree with buttress roots at the base of the trunk, mostly more or less elliptic leaves, cream-coloured flowers with five petals that sometimes have a divided tip, and more or less spherical fruit.

<i>Leucopogon bossiaea</i> Species of plant

Leucopogon bossiaea is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to a restricted area in the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with elliptic to broadly egg-shaped leaves and white flowers in four to eleven upper leaf axils.

References

  1. 1 2 "Acronychia acidula". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Hartley, Thomas G. (2013). Wilson, Annette J.G. (ed.). Flora of Australia (Volume 26). Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Study. p. 115. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  3. F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Acronychia acidula". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government . Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  4. "Acronychia acidula". APNI. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  5. von Mueller, Ferdinand (1864). Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. pp. 154–155. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  6. 1 2 Elliot, Rodger W.; Jones, David L.; Blake, Trevor (1982). Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants suitable for cultivation. (Volume 2). Port Melbourne, Victoria: Lothian Publishing. p. 141. ISBN   0-85091-143-5.
  7. Barker, Robin; Vestjens, Wilhelmus (1989). Food of Australian Birds 1. Non-passerines. CSIRO Division of Wildlife and Ecology. pp. 300–301. ISBN   0643050078.
  8. "Lemon aspen Acronychia acidula". TuckerBush. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  9. "Australian Plants on Stamps - Lemon aspen". Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 2 July 2020.