Few-flowered acronychia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Few-flowered acronychia |
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Acronychia pauciflora in the Australian National Botanic Gardens | |
Scientific classification | |
Genus: |
Acronychia
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Species: |
pauciflora
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Acronychia pauciflora, also known as the few-flowered acronychia or soft acronychia, is a special kind of shrub or small tree. It grows only in eastern Australia, which means it's endemic there. This plant has simple, egg-shaped leaves that are narrower at the bottom. It produces small groups of greenish-white flowers, usually near where the leaves meet the stem. After flowering, it grows soft, round, fleshy fruits.
Contents
About the Few-flowered Acronychia
The few-flowered acronychia is a shrub or tree that can grow up to 10 meters (about 33 feet) tall. It has bark that looks wrinkled or slightly scaly and is a creamy-fawn color.
Leaves and Flowers
Its leaves are simple, meaning each leaf has one blade. They are usually 20 to 95 millimeters (about 0.8 to 3.7 inches) long and 10 to 48 millimeters (about 0.4 to 1.9 inches) wide. Each leaf has a short stem called a petiole, which is usually 4 to 14 millimeters (about 0.16 to 0.55 inches) long.
The flowers grow in small groups, about 8 to 12 millimeters (about 0.3 to 0.5 inches) long. They mostly appear where the leaves join the stem, which is called the leaf axil. Each flower sits on a tiny stalk called a pedicel, which is only 0.5 to 2 millimeters long.
Flower Parts and Fruit
Each flower has four sepals, which are like small, leaf-like parts that protect the bud. These are about 1 millimeter wide. There are also four greenish-white petals, which are 4 to 6 millimeters (about 0.16 to 0.24 inches) long. Inside the flower, there are eight stamens, which are the parts that produce pollen. These stamens are different lengths.
The few-flowered acronychia blooms from December to July. After the flowers, it produces a fleshy fruit called a drupe. This fruit is usually 7 to 9 millimeters (about 0.28 to 0.35 inches) long and looks mostly round.
Plant Naming and History
How it Got its Name
The plant Acronychia pauciflora was officially described for the first time in 1946. This was done by a scientist named Cyril Tenison White. He published his description in a scientific paper called the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland.
Where it Grows and Lives
Natural Home
This type of acronychia plant grows in eastern Australia. You can find it from Broad Sound in central eastern Queensland, south to the Richmond River in north-eastern New South Wales. It can also be found further inland, as far as the Carnarvon Range.
Preferred Places to Grow
It likes to grow in rainforests. It also grows in a type of forest called brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) scrub. You can find it from areas right by the sea up to places as high as 650 meters (about 2,130 feet) above sea level.
How We Protect This Plant
Conservation Status
The Queensland Government has a law called the Nature Conservation Act 1992. Under this law, Acronychia pauciflora is listed as being of "least concern." This means that scientists believe there are enough of these plants in the wild, and they are not currently at risk of disappearing.