Acronychia acidula F.Muell.

Rutaceae

Mueller, F.J.H. von (1864) Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae 4: 154. Type: In montibus Seaview Range apud Rockingham Bay. Dallachy.

Hard Aspen; Lemon Aspen; Lemon Wood

Blaze odour generally conspicuous, difficult to describe, but perhaps resembling mango (Mangifera indica) or citrus (Citrus spp.).

Leaf blades about 10.5-19.5 x 5-11 cm. About 8-20 main lateral veins on each side of the midrib. Underside of the leaf blade only slightly paler than the upper surface. Crushed leaves often emit an odour like mango skin (Mangifera indica).

Inflorescence usually more than 2 cm long. Flowers about 9.5 mm long. Stamens eight, dimorphic, four long and four short, in one whorl, long and short stamens alternating. Disk and style yellow. Ovary and stigma green.

Fruits +/- globular, about 20 mm diam. Seeds about 4.5 mm long.

Cotyledons about 9-11 mm long, margins toothed. First and second pairs of leaves trifoliolate. At the tenth leaf stage: leaf blade inconspicuously toothed, more conspicuous on earlier leaves. Seed germination time 51 to 226 days.

Endemic to Queensland, occurs in NEQ and CEQ. Altitudinal range from near sea level to 1150 m. Usually grows in well developed upland and mountain rain forest on a variety of sites. This species is favoured by disturbance and is a characteristic component of rain forest regrowth. The fruits are much sought after by fruit-eating pigeons.

Jambolifera acidula (F.Muell.) Kuntze, Revisio Generum Plantarum 1: 102(1891). Acronychia superba Domin, Bibliotheca Botanica 89(4): 849(1928), Type: Nordost-Queensland as Regenwalder bei Allumbah (Yungaburra) (DOMIN II. 1910). [given by T.G.Hartley, J. Arnold Arbor. 55 (1974) 517 as Domin 3406).