Acronychia laevis

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Hard aspen
Acronychia laevis flower & fruit.jpg
Leaves, flower and fruit of Acronychia laevis
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. laevis
Binomial name
Acronychia laevis
Synonyms [1]
  • Acronychia laevisJ.R.Forst. & G.Forst. var. laevis
  • Acronychia laevis var. longiflora Domin
  • Acronychia laevis var. normalis F.M.Bailey nom. inval.
  • Acronychia laevis var. purpureaF.M.Bailey
  • Jambolifera laevis(J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.) Kuntze

Acronychia laevis, commonly known as hard aspen, glossy acronychia or northern white lilly pilly, [2] is a species of shrub or small tree in the citrus family, and is endemic to eastern Australia. It has simple, elliptical to egg-shaped leaves, groups of creamy white flowers and fleshy, mitre-shaped to spherical fruit.

Contents

Description

Acronychia laevis is a shrub or small tree that typically grows to a height of 12 m (39 ft). The trunk has fairly smooth, fawn bark with some vertical lines and wrinkles. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs and are simple, elliptic to egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, 25–100 mm (0.98–3.94 in) long and 10–50 mm (0.39–1.97 in) wide on a petiole 3–30 mm (0.12–1.18 in) long. The leaves are shiny green on both sides with a blunt or rounded tip and have oil dots that may be seen using a lens and a bright light. The flowers are mainly arranged in leaf axils in cymes 15–70 mm (0.59–2.76 in) long, each flower on a pedicel 3.5–13 mm (0.14–0.51 in) long. The four sepals are 0.5–1.5 mm (0.020–0.059 in) wide, the four petals creamy white and 5–9 mm (0.20–0.35 in) long and the eight stamens alternate in length. Flowering occurs from February to June and the fruit is a fleshy mitre-shaped to more or less spherical, dark pink drupe 7–10 mm (0.28–0.39 in) long containing reddish-brown seeds about 4 mm (0.16 in) long. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Taxonomy

Acronychia laevis was first described in 1775 by German naturalists Johann Reinhold Forster and Georg Forster who published the description in their book Characteres Generum Plantarum . [7] [8] The specific epithet laevis is the Latin adjective "smooth", and refers to the new shoots and leaves. [3]

Distribution and habitat

Hard aspen grows in dry rainforest and subtropical rainforest from sea level to an altitude of 1,100 m (3,600 ft). It is found from the upper Clarence River, New South Wales in New South Wales to Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, on New Caledonia and on Lord Howe Island. [2] [5] [9]

Ecology

The fruit is eaten by the green catbird. [3]

Use in horticulture

Acronychia laevis can be grown in a sunny or part-shaded position in a garden. Its attractive fruit and flowers have horticultural appeal. It can be propagated from seed, [9] although cuttings may also be attempted. The fruit is edible to humans, although described as too pungent to be palatable, [10] and have even been likened to turpentine. [11]

Related Research Articles

<i>Acronychia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Acronychia is a genus of about fifty species of plants in the rue family Rutaceae. The leaves are simple or pinnate, and the flowers bisexual with four sepals, four petals and eight stamens. They have a broad distribution including in India, Malesia, Australia and the islands of the western Pacific Ocean. About twenty species are endemic to Australia.

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

Acronychia acidula, commonly known as lemon aspen or lemon wood, 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.

<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 baeuerlenii</i> Species of flowering plant

Acronychia baeuerlenii, commonly known as Byron Bay acronychia, is a species of rainforest shrub or small tree endemic to eastern Australia. It has simple, glabrous leaves, small groups of flowers and fleshy oval fruit.

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

Acronychia pubescens, commonly known as hairy acronychia or hairy aspen, is a species of tall shrub or small tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It usually has trifoliate leaves, rarely simple leaves, groups of whitish flowers in leaf axils and creamy to yellowish, elliptical to spherical fruit.

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

Acronychia suberosa, commonly known as corky acronychia, is a species of small to medium-sized rainforest tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has mostly trifoliate leaves with elliptic to egg-shaped leaflets with the narrower end towards the base, small groups of cream-coloured flowers and elliptical to spherical, creamy yellow to whitish fruit.

<i>Medicosma cunninghamii</i> Species of shrub

Medicosma cunninghamii, commonly known as pinkheart or bonewood, is a species of shrub or small tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It has simple, narrow oblong to lance-shaped leaves and small white or cream-coloured flowers arranged in small groups.

<i>Zanthoxylum pinnatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Zanthoxylum pinnatum, commonly known as yellow wood, is a species of flowering plant of the family Rutaceae native to Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands. It is a tree with pinnate leaves, white male and female flowers arranged in groups in leaf axils, and spherical, purple follicles containing a single black seed.

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 leaves 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 chooreechillum</i> Species of flowering plant

Acronychia chooreechillum, commonly known as mountain aspen, is a species of shrub or small rainforest tree that is endemic to north-eastern Queensland. It has mostly trifoliate leaves with elliptic to egg-shaped leaflets on stems that are more or less cylindrical, flowers in small groups in leaf axils and fleshy, egg-shaped or elliptical 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 pauciflora</i> Species of flowering plant

Acronychia pauciflora, commonly known as few-flowered acronychia or soft acronychia, is a species of shrub or small tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has simple, egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, greenish white flowers arranged in small groups, mostly 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.

References

  1. 1 2 "Acronychia laevis". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 3 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. pp. 112–113. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Floyd, Alexander G. (2008). Rainforest trees of mainland south-eastern Australia (Revised ed.). Terania Rainforest Publishing. p. 345. ISBN   9780958943673.
  4. Hartley, Thomas G. (1974). "A revision of the genus Acronychia (Rutaceae)". Journal of the Arnold Arboretum. 55 (3): 501–505. doi: 10.5962/p.324717 . Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  5. 1 2 F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Acronychia laevis". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government . Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  6. Richards, P.G.; Harden, Gwen J. "Acronychia laevis J.R.Forst. & G.Forst". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  7. "Acronychia laevis". APNI. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  8. Forster, Johann Reinhold; Forster, Georg (1775). Characteres Generum Plantarum. London: Prostant apud B. White, T. Cadell, & P. Elmsly. p. 54. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  9. 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. 292. ISBN   0-85091-143-5.
  10. "Acronychia laevis (RUTACEAE); Glossy acronychia, hard aspen". Brisbane Rainforest Action & Information Network website. South Brisbane, Qld: Brisbane Rainforest Action & Information Network. 2007. Archived from the original on 15 February 2011. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  11. Geo. W. Thorpe (2004). "The Rainforest: Yes, It may be Copied". Australian Plants online. Australian Native Plants Society (Australia). Retrieved 3 July 2020.