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