The video is a slideshow presentation with music.
Genus: Acronychia
Species: imperforata
Family: Rutaceae
Common name: Beach Acronychia
Plant type: Evergreen, littoral rain forest
Origin: Coastal northeast Australia
Habit:
The specimens in this video are from my visit to the Redlands IndigiScapes Centre in Capalaba, Queensland.
The Beach Acronychia is an endangered/threatened Australian plant because of its select natural habitat within coastal areas that have been subjected to natural and human disturbances.
A lovely, small, coastal tree or shrub from north-eastern New South Wales; up to 10m (33’) height, sometimes 15m (49’) height; mostly upright, ascending canopy, many branched; glossy, thick, hardy foliage; an edible drupe fruit; clusters of tiny creamy-white stellate flowers; and light coloured, slender trunk.
Trunk is straight, upright, narrow; good, hardy, mature specimens will still have a diameter at breast height (dbh) less than 30cm (1’); thin bark, smooth, grainy, scars, with age there can be an increase in fissures and ridges; grey, pale brown.
Rutaceae is the “Citrus” family. This is a coastal, tropical, subtropical plant, littoral rainforest, full sun, part shade, sandy soil, moist, well-drained soil, can handle drought, dry seasons, salt, salty wind spray tolerant, but is frost tender. Specimens growing closer to the coast, closer to exposed salty winds, tend to have a scrub and small shrub habit.
There can be some variation in the characteristics of the A. imperforata depending on the coastal location and also from hybridizing. A. imperforata is not as aromatic as other Acronychia species.
Leaves:
Simple, opposite; elliptic - obovate; can be thick, leathery; glossy; new growth light - pale green, yellowish-green, maturing to dark green, pale underneath; sizes range from 3cm-16cm (1.2”-6”) length x 1.5cm-7cm (0.6”-2.7”) width; short petiole; apex round - obtuse, notched; base cuneate - attenuate; margin entire; venation reticulate.
Flowers:
Inflorescence is 2.5cm-5cm (1”-2”) length with clusters of tiny flowers; creamy yellow; up to 9.5mm (0.4”) length; stellate; 4 petals; alternating long and short stamen; bloom in summer.
Fruit:
Drupe fleshy fruit, in clusters, from rounded globose - to pear-shaped pyriform and obovoid; can have a short apical point; ranging from 7mm-20mm (0.3”-0.8”) diameter; yellow - orange; under the flesh is a hard, 4 celled capsule usually containing 1 black seed; citrus scented.
17 май 2019
