Acronychia oblongifolia
A rainforest tree with edible, aromatic berries.
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This eastern Australian rainforest tree, a shrub or medium-sized member of the citrus family, is called white aspen or yellow wood. It has simple, egg-shaped leaves, small creamy-white flower clusters, and fleshy, round, edible fruit.
Scientific classification
- CladeTracheophytes
- CladeAngiosperms
- CladeEudicots
- CladeRosids
- OrderSapindales
- FamilyRutaceae
- GenusAcronychia
- SpeciesAcronychia oblongifolia
Named by (A. Cunn. ex Hook.) Endl. ex Heynh.
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Acronychia oblongifolia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Where the acronychia oblongifolia has been recorded
Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (162 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 37 inland records left out (institution coordinates).
Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain)
Quick Facts
- Species
- oblongifolia
Facts from the source article.
Description
This species grows as a shrub or tree up to 27 m tall, with a dark brown, mostly smooth trunk. The leaves are opposite, simple, lance-shaped to egg-shaped, 30–120 mm long, leathery, dark green, and aromatic; they may occasionally be trifoliate. Creamy-white flowers, each about 10 mm wide, appear in small axillary groups from February to June. The fruit is a fleshy, white, yellow or purplish drupe, 5–9 mm long, maturing from May to December, four-lobed and tipped with a tuft of hairs.
Taxonomy
In 1840, Stephan Endlicher proposed the name Acronychia oblongifolia, which Gustav Heynhold published. The specific epithet, from Latin folium meaning 'leaf', refers to the oblong leaf shape.
Did You Know?
- The fruit are consumed by birds including the green catbird, regent bowerbird, satin bowerbird, pied currawong, topknot pigeon, white-headed pigeon, blue-faced honeyeater, and wompoo fruit dove.
- The berries have an aromatic lemon/orange flavour and can be used in preserves, sauces, juices, and cocktails.
- It is somewhat frost tender when young and is propagated by seed or cutting.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Acronychia oblongifolia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Occurrence records: GBIF (CC0 / CC BY). Basemap: Natural Earth (public domain).
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