Few-flowered acronychia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Few-flowered acronychia
Acronychia pauciflora in the Australian National Botanic Gardens
Scientific classification
Genus:	Acronychia
Species:	pauciflora

Acronychia pauciflora, commonly known as few-flowered acronychia or soft acronychia, is a species of shrub or small tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has simple, egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, greenish white flowers arranged in small groups, mostly in leaf axils and fleshy, more or less spherical fruit.

Description

Acronychia pauciflora is a shrub or tree that typically grows to a height of 10 m (33 ft) and has wrinkled or finely scaly, creamy-fawn bark. The leaves are simple, 20–95 mm (0.79–3.74 in) long and 10–48 mm (0.39–1.89 in) wide on a petiole usually 4–14 mm (0.16–0.55 in) long. The flowers are arranged in small groups 8–12 mm (0.31–0.47 in) long, mainly in leaf axils, each flower on a pedicel 0.5–2 mm (0.020–0.079 in) long. The four sepals are about 1 mm (0.039 in) wide, the four greenish white petals 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) long, and the eight stamens alternate in length. Flowering occurs from December to July and the fruit is a fleshy drupe 7–9 mm (0.28–0.35 in) long and more or less spherical.

Taxonomy

Acronychia pauciflora was first formally described in 1946 by Cyril Tenison White in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland.

Distribution and habitat

This acronychia grows between Broad Sound in central eastern Queensland, the Richmond River in north-eastern New South Wales and as far inland as the Carnarvon Range. It grows in rainforest and in brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) scrub from sea level to an altitude of 650 m (2,130 ft).

Conservation status

This species is classified as of "least concern" under the Queensland Government Nature Conservation Act 1992.