Byron Bay acronychia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Byron Bay acronychia |
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| Acronychia baeuerlenii in the ANBG | |
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Acronychia
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| Species: |
baeuerlenii
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Acronychia baeuerlenii, also known as the Byron Bay acronychia, is a special kind of shrub or small tree. It grows only in the rainforests of eastern Australia. This plant has smooth, shiny leaves, small groups of flowers, and soft, oval-shaped fruits.
Contents
What Does the Byron Bay Acronychia Look Like?
The Byron Bay acronychia usually grows into a shrub or a small tree. It can reach up to 10 meters (about 33 feet) tall. Its trunk is smooth and grey, often around 200 mm (about 8 inches) wide. The young branches are mostly round.
Leaves
The leaves grow in pairs, one across from the other. They are simple, meaning they are not divided into smaller leaflets. They are also glossy green and glabrous, which means they are smooth and hairless. Each leaf is shaped like an oval, measuring about 50–110 mm (2–4.3 inches) long and 20–45 mm (0.8–1.8 inches) wide. They attach to the branch with a small stalk called a petiole, which is 5–18 mm (0.2–0.7 inches) long.
Flowers
The flowers of this plant are white or cream-coloured. They grow in small groups called cymes in the axils of the leaves. An axil is the angle between a leaf and the stem. These flower groups are about 30–70 mm (1.2–2.8 inches) long. Each individual flower sits on a smooth stalk called a pedicel, which is 4–9.5 mm (0.16–0.37 inches) long.
Each flower has four sepals (small leaf-like parts that protect the bud) that are 1.5–2.5 mm (0.06–0.1 inches) wide. It also has four petals (the colourful parts of the flower) that are 8.5–14 mm (0.33–0.55 inches) long. Inside the flower, there are eight stamens, which are the parts that produce pollen.
Fruit
The Byron Bay acronychia flowers between October and February. After flowering, it produces fruit. The fruit is fleshy, creamy to light green, and oval-shaped. It's a type of fruit called a drupe, which means it has a hard pit inside, like a peach or cherry. This fruit is 9–15 mm (0.35–0.6 inches) wide and has eight small ribs. The fruit ripens between March and May. Each fruit has four sections, and each section usually contains one or two sticky black seeds, about 3–5 mm (0.12–0.2 inches) long.
How Was It Named?
The Byron Bay acronychia was first officially described in 1974. A scientist named Thomas Gordon Hartley gave it its formal name. He wrote about it in a scientific journal called the Journal of the Arnold Arboretum. He studied plant samples that were collected near a place called Burringba in 1898.
Where Does It Grow?
The Byron Bay acronychia is found in a specific area of eastern Australia. It grows from the Richmond River in New South Wales up to Lamington National Park in Queensland.
Habitat
This plant prefers to grow as an understorey plant. This means it grows beneath the taller trees in warm temperate rainforests. Sometimes, you can also find it in subtropical rainforests, especially where the soil is rich in nutrients, like alluvial (river-deposited) or basaltic (volcanic) soils. It can grow at elevations up to 800 meters (about 2,600 feet) above sea level.
Is It Protected?
The Byron Bay acronychia is currently classified as being of "least concern" by the Queensland Government. This means that, for now, there are enough of these plants in the wild, and they are not considered to be in danger of disappearing.
What Are Essential Oils?
The leaves of the Byron Bay acronychia contain special substances called essential oils. These oils are natural compounds that give plants their scent and flavour. They are often used in perfumes, foods, and medicines.
See also
In Spanish: Acronychia baeuerlenii para niños
