Acronychia acidula

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information

Wikipedia links:       Angiosperms > Eudicots > Rosids  > Sapindales > Rutaceae > Acronychia  acidula

Other links:     

Plant  information

Common name:                Lemon Aspen  

Conservation status:  Least concern

Etymology:   

• Its species name acidula is Latin "slightly acid"

Flowers:                  

• The flowers are arranged in groups 30–100 mm long, in leaf axils or between the leaves

• Each flower on a glabrous pedicel 2–4 mm long

• The four sepals are 2–2.5 mm long and the four petals 7–8.5 mm long

• The eight stamens alternate in length

Fruit:                         

• A fleshy, more or less spherical drupe 13–16 mm long 

• The seeds are about 4.5 mm long

• The aromatic and acidic fruit is harvested as a bushfood

• The fruit are eaten by the topknot pigeon (Lopholaimus antarcticus)

Leaves:         

• It has simple, elliptical, glabrous leaves that are 80–235 mm long and 43–120 mm wide 

• On a petiole 20–70 mm long

• The crushed leaves often have an odour resembling that of mango (Mangifera indica)

Stem & branches: 

• Typically grows to a height of about 27 m

Roots:         

Habit:        

• Small to medium-sized tree

Habitat:   

• Grows in rainforest at altitudes of up to 1,000 m 

Distribution:                  

• Endemic to Queensland   

• From the Atherton Tableland to the Eungella Range in Queensland

Additional notes:     

• Taxonomy

  • First formally described in 1864 by Victorian state botanist Ferdinand von Mueller in Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae 

  • Specimens collected by John Dallachy in the Seaview Range near Rockingham Bay

• Use

  • The fruit has a grapefruit and lime-like flavour

  • It is popular in beverages, sauces and confectionery

  • The fruit has high antioxidant activity

• Cultivation

  • The tree is grown in small-scale commercial bushfood orchards on the east coast of Australia from North Queensland to northern NSW

  • 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

• Cultural references

  • Lemon aspen featured on an Australian postage stamp in 2019

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acronychia_acidula (Jan 2024)