Acronychia wilcoxiana

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Silver aspen
Acronychia wilcoxiana.jpg
Acronychia wilcoxiana in the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Acronychia
Species:
A. wilcoxiana
Binomial name
Acronychia wilcoxiana
Synonyms [1]
  • Errerana wilcoxiana(F.Muell.) Kuntze
  • Pleiococca wilcoxianaF.Muell.
Leaves in Stony Range Botanic Garden, Dee Why Acronychia wilcoxiana DY.jpg
Leaves in Stony Range Botanic Garden, Dee Why

Acronychia wilcoxiana, commonly known as silver aspen, [2] doughwood, snowwood or mushyberry, [3] 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.

Contents

Description

Acronychia wilcoxiana is a tree that typically grows to a height of 9–15 m (30–49 ft) with pinkish brown or dark brown bark and a crown of dark green leaves. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, and are elliptical to egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, 70–210 mm (2.8–8.3 in) long and 25–90 mm (0.98–3.54 in) wide on a petiole 6–30 mm (0.24–1.18 in) long. The flowers are arranged in relatively large groups 30–65 mm (1.2–2.6 in) long in leaf axils, each flower on a pedicel 0.5–3 mm (0.020–0.118 in) long. The four sepals are 1.5–3 mm (0.059–0.118 in) wide, the four petals whitish and 7.5–9 mm (0.30–0.35 in) long and the eight stamens alternate in length. Flowering occurs from January to May and the fruit is a fleshy, conical to spherical drupe 12–15 mm (0.47–0.59 in) long. The seeds are black, oval and about 4.5 mm (0.18 in) long. [2] [4] [5]

Taxonomy

The silver aspen was first formally described in 1875 by Ferdinand von Mueller who gave it the name Pleiococca wilcoxiana and published the description in Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae . [6] [7] In 1974 Thomas Hartley changed the name to Acronychia wilcoxiana in the Journal of the Arnold Arboretum . [5] [8] The species name honours James Fowler Wilcox, a 19th-century collector of birds and plants in northern New South Wales. [9]

Distribution and habitat

Acronychia wilcoxiana grows in rainforest, mostly between Fraser Island in south-east Queensland and Gosford in central-eastern New South Wales and from sea level to an altitude of 450 m (1,480 ft) but a small population of about eight mature trees has been recorded at Primbee in the Illawarra district. [2] [4] [10]

Ecology

The fruit of A. wilcoxiana are eaten by rainforest birds, including the wompoo fruit-dove. [2]

Conservation status

Silver aspen is listed as of "least concern" under the Queensland Government Nature Conservation Act 1992 . [3]

Use in horticulture

Germination from seed is not easy, however, the removal of the fleshy aril from the seed will improve results. Seeds may germinate after 6 to 12 months. [2]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Flindersia schottiana</i> Species of flowering plant

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<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>Melicope elleryana</i> Species of shrub

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

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<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 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>Bosistoa medicinalis</i> Species of flowering plant

Bosistoa medicinalis, commonly known as the northern towra or Eumundi bosistoa, is a species of small to medium-sized rainforest tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has simple and pinnate leaves with two or three leaflets and panicles of small white flowers.

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.

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>Coatesia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Coatesia is a genus of plant containing the single species Coatesia paniculata, commonly known as axe-breaker or capivi, and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a small, evergreen tree with simple, elliptical to egg-shaped leaves, panicles of white flowers on the ends of branchlets or in leaf axils and fused follicles with one black seed in each follicle.

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

Dinosperma is a genus of plant containing the single species Dinosperma erythrococcum, commonly known as tingletongue, clubwood or nutmeg, and is endemic to north-eastern Australia. It is a tree usually with trifoliate leaves arranged in opposite pairs, the leaflets lance-shaped to oblong, and panicles of small white flowers, later bright orange to red, slightly fleshy follicles containing shiny, bluish black seeds.

<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.

References

  1. 1 2 "Acronychia wilcoxiana". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Floyd, A. G. (2008). Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia (2nd, Revised ed.). Lismore, New South Wales: Terania Rainforest Publishing. p. 350. ISBN   978-0-958943-67-3 . Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  3. 1 2 "Species profile—Acronychia wilcoxiana (silver aspen)". Government of Queensland, Department of Environment and Science. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  4. 1 2 Hartley, Thomas G.; Wilson, Annette J.G. (ed.) (2013). Flora of Australia (Volume 26). Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Study. pp. 117–113. Retrieved 8 July 2020.{{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)
  5. 1 2 Hartley, Thomas G. (1974). "A revision of the genus Acronychia (Rutaceae)". Journal of the Arnold Arboretum. 55 (3): 516–517. doi: 10.5962/p.324717 . Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  6. "Pleiococca wilcoxiana". APNI. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  7. von Mueller, Ferdinand (1875). Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. pp. 117–118. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  8. "Acronychia wilcoxiana". APNI. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  9. Maiden, Joseph Henry (1908). "Wilcox, James Fowler (1823-1881)". Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria, Australian National Herbarium. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  10. "Seeds of a Survival Story". Illawarra Mercury. Archived from the original on 2012-12-31.