Corky acronychia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Corky acronychia |
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| In Coffs Harbour Botanic Garden | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acronychia
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| Species: |
suberosa
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The corky acronychia (scientific name: Acronychia suberosa) is a cool rainforest tree found only in eastern Australia. It's known for its unique corky bark, especially on older trees. This tree usually has leaves made of three leaflets, small cream-colored flowers, and creamy yellow or whitish fruits that are shaped like an oval or a ball.
Contents
Description
The corky acronychia is a tree that can grow quite tall, up to 20 meters (about 65 feet) high. Its trunk can be about 30 centimeters (12 inches) wide and often has a thick, dark top part, called a crown. The trunk is usually round, but sometimes it has wider parts at the bottom. Its bark is smooth and can be brown or reddish-brown.
Leaves, Flowers, and Fruit
- Leaves: The leaves are mostly arranged in pairs opposite each other. Each leaf is "trifoliate," meaning it has three smaller leaf parts called leaflets. These leaflets are shaped like an oval or an egg, with the narrower end at the base. They are about 3.5 to 8.5 centimeters (1.4 to 3.3 inches) long and 0.9 to 3 centimeters (0.4 to 1.2 inches) wide. The stalk that holds the whole leaf is called a petiole, and it's about 1 to 4.5 centimeters (0.4 to 1.8 inches) long. Each small leaflet also has its own tiny stalk, called a petiolule, which can be up to 1 centimeter (0.4 inches) long.
- Flowers: The flowers grow in small groups called cymes, which are about 1.8 to 3.5 centimeters (0.7 to 1.4 inches) long. Each individual flower sits on a tiny stalk called a pedicel, about 1 to 3.5 millimeters (0.04 to 0.14 inches) long. Each flower has four small green parts called sepals, which are about 2 to 3 millimeters (0.08 to 0.12 inches) wide. It also has four cream-colored petals, about 6 to 9 millimeters (0.24 to 0.35 inches) long. Inside the flower, there are eight stamens (the parts that produce pollen) that are different lengths. Corky acronychia usually flowers in February.
- Fruit: After flowering, the tree produces a fleshy fruit called a drupe. This fruit is creamy yellow to whitish and shaped like an oval or a ball. It's about 1.2 to 1.5 centimeters (0.5 to 0.6 inches) long. The fruit usually ripens between March and June.
Taxonomy
The corky acronychia was first officially described in 1932 by a scientist named Cyril Tenison White. He wrote about it in a publication called Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland. He found the first samples of this tree in Lamington National Park in 1929. The special part of its scientific name, suberosa, means "corky." This refers to the corky bark that older trees develop.
Distribution and habitat
The corky acronychia grows in a specific area of eastern Australia. You can find it from the Richmond River in New South Wales up to the McPherson Range in southeastern Queensland. It prefers to grow at higher altitudes, usually between 200 and 1000 meters (about 650 to 3,300 feet) above sea level. This tree likes to live in sub-tropical or warm temperate rainforests. It grows best in areas with a lot of rain and on soils that come from basalt rock.
Uses
Food
The fruit of the corky acronychia is edible, meaning you can eat it. However, it is quite acidic, so it might taste a bit sour.
Horticulture
If you want to grow new corky acronychia trees from seeds, it's a good idea to remove the fleshy part of the fruit from around the seed first. This helps the seeds grow better. About 30% of the seeds might sprout, and it can take about five months for them to start growing.
See also
In Spanish: Acronychia suberosa para niños
