Acronychia oblongifolia

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White aspen
Acronychia oblongifolia flowers.jpg
Acronychia oblongifolia in the ANBG
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Acronychia
Species:
A. oblongifolia
Binomial name
Acronychia oblongifolia
Synonyms [1]
  • Acronychia laevis var. dictyophleba Domin
  • Acronychia laevis var. leucocarpa F.M.Bailey
  • Acronychia laurina F.Muell. nom. illeg., nom. superfl.
  • Cyminosma oblongifoliaA.Cunn. ex Hook
  • Eriostemon oblongifolius(A.Cunn. & Hook.) G.Don
  • Jambolifera oblongifolia(A.Cunn. ex Hook.) Steud.
  • Acronychia laevisauct. non J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.
Fruit Acronychia oblongifolia fruit.jpg
Fruit

Acronychia oblongifolia, commonly known as white aspen or yellow wood, [2] 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.

Contents

Description

Acronychia oblongifolia grows as a shrub or medium-sized tree sometimes to 27 m (89 ft) high. The trunk is dark brown and generally smooth, sometimes with fine wrinkles, fissures or pustules. The leaves are mostly simple, arranged in opposite pairs, lance-shaped to egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, 30–120 mm (1.2–4.7 in) long and 14–50 mm (0.55–1.97 in) wide on a petiole 5–32 mm (0.20–1.26 in) long. The leaves are leathery, dark green, aromatic and sometimes trifoliate. The flowers are creamy-white and arranged in small groups 20–60 mm (0.79–2.36 in) long, usually in leaf axils, each flower about 10 mm (0.39 in) wide on a pedicel 1.5–8 mm (0.059–0.315 in) long. The four sepals are 0.9–1.5 mm (0.035–0.059 in) wide, the four petals 4.5–7 mm (0.18–0.28 in) long and there are eight stamens that alternate in length. Flowering occurs from February to June and the fruit is a fleshy, white, yellow or purplish, more or less spherical drupe 5–9 mm (0.20–0.35 in) long, that matures from May to December. The fruit are four-lobed and have a tuft of hairs on the end. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Taxonomy

The white aspen was first formally described in 1934 by William Jackson Hooker in The Botanical Magazine from an unpublished description by Allan Cunningham. Cunningham gave it the name Cyminosma oblongifolia. [8] [9] In 1840, Stephan Endlicher proposed changing the name to Acronychia oblongifolia and the change was published by the German botanist Gustav Heynhold in his book Alphabetische und Synonymische Aufzahlung der in der Jahren 1840 bis 1846 in den europäischen Gärten eingeführten Gewächse nebst Angabe ihres Autors. [10] The specific name, from the Latin folium "leaf", refers to the oblong shape of the leaves. [3] [4]

Distribution and habitat

White aspen is found from near Gympie in central-eastern Queensland, south through eastern New South Wales to a few rainforest communities in eastern Victoria. Its natural habitat is rainforest and rainforest margin. Mostly shrubby, places where Acronychia oblongifolia reaches tree size include the rainforest of the McPherson Range on the New South Wales/Queensland border, and the Mitchell River Gorge in Victoria. [2] [3] [4] [6]

Ecology

The fruit are ripe between May and November (to January in Victoria) and are consumed by the green catbird, regent bowerbird, satin bowerbird, pied currawong, topknot pigeon, white-headed pigeon, blue-faced honeyeater and wompoo fruit dove. [4]

Uses

Use in horticulture

Acronychia oblongifolia is fairly readily cultivated in a well-drained soil with a sunny aspect, and benefits from extra water and fertiliser. It is somewhat frost tender when young. It is propagated by seed or cutting. [3]

Use in food

Reported to have an aromatic lemon/orange flavour, the berries can be served with salads and side dishes or served cooked with seafood or poultry. They can also be used in preserves, sauces, juices and cocktails. [4] [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 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 laevis</i> Species of flowering plant

Acronychia laevis, commonly known as hard aspen, glossy acronychia or northern white lilly pilly, 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.

<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>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.

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 oblongifloia". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Richards, P.G.; Harden, Gwen J. "Acronychia oblongifolia". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Elliot, W.R.; Jones, D.L. (1982). Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants: volume 2 A-Ca. pp. 142–43. ISBN   0-85091-143-5.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Floyd, Alexander G., Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia, Inkata Press 2008, ISBN   978-0-9589436-7-3 pp. 346–347.
  5. ↑ Hartley, Thomas G. (2013). Wilson, Annette J.G. (ed.). Flora of Australia (Volume 26). Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Study. p. 111. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  6. 1 2 Duretto, Marco F. "Acronychia oblongifolia". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  7. ↑ Hartley, Thomas G. (1974). "A revision of the genus Acronychia (Rutaceae)". Journal of the Arnold Arboretum. 55 (3): 495–497. doi: 10.5962/p.324717 . Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  8. ↑ "Cyminosma oblongifolia". APNI. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  9. ↑ Hooker, William Jackson (1834). "Cyminosma oblongifolia". Curtis's Botanical Magazine. 61: 3322. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  10. ↑ "Acronychia oblongifolia". APNI. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  11. ↑ "White aspen - Acronychia oblongifolia". TuckerBush. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
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