''Acronychia littoralis'', commonly known as the scented acronychia, is a species of small tree that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

to eastern coastal Australia. It has simple,

glabrous Glabrousness (from the Latin '' glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part o ...

, elliptic to egg-shaped leaves, small groups of yellow flowers and egg-shaped to more or less spherical creamy-yellow fruit.

Description

''Acronychia littoralis'' is a tree that typically grows to a height of and has a straight, grey, cylindrical trunk. The leaves are glabrous, arranged in opposite pairs, broadly elliptical to broadly egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, mostly long and wide on a petiole long. The flowers are mainly arranged in leaf

axil A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ...

s in

cymes An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

long, each flower on a pedicel long. The four

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined ...

s are wide, the four

petal Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usuall ...

s yellow and long and the eight

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

s alternate in length. Flowering occurs from February to March and the fruit is a fleshy creamy yellow, egg-shaped to more or less spherical

drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part ( exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kerne ...

long with four lobes separated by shallow fissures.

Taxonomy

''Acronychia littoralis'' was first formally described in 1984 by Thomas Hartley and J.B. Williams in the journal '' Brunonia'' from specimens collected by J.B. Williams near Brunswick Heads in 1979.

Distribution and habitat

Scented acronychia grows in rainforest within of the coast between

Fraser Island Fraser Island ( Butchulla: ) is a World Heritage-listed island along the south-eastern coast in the Wide Bay–Burnett region, Queensland, Australia. The island is approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane, and is within the Fra ...

in Queensland and Iluka in New South Wales.

Conservation status

This acronchyia is classified as "endangered" under the Australian Government ''

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 The ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and cult ...

'', the New South Wales Government '' Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016'' and the Queensland Government ''

Nature Conservation Act 1992 The ''Nature Conservation Act 1992'' is an act of the Parliament of Queensland, Australia, that, together with subordinate legislation, provides for the legislative protection of Queensland's threatened biota. As originally published, it prov ...

''. The main threats to the species include inappropriate use of four-wheel drive vehicles, weed invasion and salt burn at exposed sites.

References

Gallery

Image:Acronychia littoralis - leaves.JPG, Juvenile leaves Image:Acronychia littoralis - trunk.JPG, Trunk Image:Acronychia littoralis - leaves & buds.JPG, Flower buds and leaves Image:ScentedAcronychia-flowers.JPG, Flowers and leaves Image:ScentedAcronychia-flowers2.JPG, Flowers and leaves Image:Acronychia littoralis in flower.JPG, Flowers and leaves Image:Acronychia littoralis habit.jpg, Habit in Coffs Harbour Botanic Garden {{Taxonbar, from=Q956143 littoralis Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Plants described in 1984 Taxa named by Thomas Gordon Hartley Taxa named by John Beaumont Williams