Mountain aspen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mountain aspen |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acronychia
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| Species: |
chooreechillum
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| Synonyms | |
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Melicope chooreechillum F.M.Bailey |
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The mountain aspen (Acronychia chooreechillum) is a special type of shrub or small tree. It grows only in the rainforests of north-eastern Queensland, Australia. This plant is known for its interesting leaves, which often have three parts, and its small flowers that turn into fleshy, egg-shaped fruits.
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What Does Mountain Aspen Look Like?
The mountain aspen is usually a shrub or a small tree. It can grow up to 15 meters (about 49 feet) tall. Its stems are round, like a cylinder.
Most of its leaves are "trifoliate," meaning they have three leaflets. Sometimes, a leaf might be simple, with just one part. The stem that holds the leaf (called a petiole) is usually 15 to 60 millimeters long.
The leaflets are shaped like an ellipse or an egg, narrower at the bottom. They are typically 40 to 75 millimeters long and 16 to 35 millimeters wide. Each leaflet has a tiny stem called a petiolule, about 4 millimeters long.
Mountain aspen flowers grow in small groups near where the leaves meet the stem. Each flower sits on a small stalk called a pedicel. The flowers have four sepals (small leaf-like parts that protect the bud) and four petals. They also have eight stamens, which are the parts that produce pollen.
This plant flowers from June to December. After flowering, it produces a fleshy fruit called a drupe. This fruit is usually 10 to 15 millimeters long and shaped like an egg or an ellipse.
How Mountain Aspen Got Its Name
The mountain aspen was first officially described in 1889. This happened when Frederick Manson Bailey wrote about it in a report. He called it Melicope chooreechillum at that time. He found the plant on Mount Bellenden Ker in Queensland.
Later, in 1933, a scientist named Cyril Tenison White changed its name. He renamed it Acronychia chooreechillum. The second part of its name, chooreechillum, comes from an Aboriginal name for Mount Bartle Frere.
Where Does Mountain Aspen Grow?
This tree lives in mountain rainforests. It also grows in windy forests on exposed ridges. You can find it from Mount Finnigan in the Cedar Bay National Park all the way to the Bellenden Ker Range. It grows in north-east Queensland, Australia.
Mountain aspen prefers higher places. It grows at altitudes between 1000 and 1600 meters (about 3,280 to 5,250 feet) above sea level.
Is Mountain Aspen Safe?
The Queensland Government has a law called the Nature Conservation Act 1992. Under this law, the mountain aspen is listed as being of "least concern." This means that scientists believe there are enough of these trees in the wild, and they are not currently at risk of disappearing.
