Acronychia octandra

Doughwood
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Acronychia
Species: A. octandra
Binomial name
Acronychia octandra
(F.Muell.) T.G.Hartley
Synonyms

Acronychia octandra is a rainforest tree in the citrus family, found in eastern Australia. It is one of several Australian trees known as Doughwood. An attractive tree with a spreading crown of relatively large glossy leaves. The specific epithet octandra refers to the eight stamens in the flower.

Habitat

The habitat is rainforest on fertile volcanic soils. Growing as far south as the Bellinger River to Nambour in south eastern Queensland. A common species on the McPherson Range, on the border between the states of New South Wales and Queensland.

Description

A tree to 30 metres in height,[1] with a stem diameter of 75 cm. The trunk is buttressed in larger trees. Bark is a pale greyish brown colour, with cracks and fissures. Also there are flaky corky scales. Small branches are green, hairless with noticeable leaf scars.

Leaflets are in threes. Leaflets have no leaf stem. They are 8 to 20 cm long, oblong-elliptical in shape. Oil dots are easily noticed with a hand lens. A dark green above, paler below. Somewhat leathery to the touch. The leaf stalk below the three leaflets is 1 to 8 cm long with a turpentine like smell, and with raised dots on the stalk. Leaf veins easily seen above and below the leaf. The midrib is raised on the underside.

Flowers & fruit

Greenish to white flowers appear on panicles from the leaf axils, in the months of August to January. The fruit is less than 4 mm long with shiny brown seeds, maturing from March to June.

Germination

Germination from fresh seeds can occur rapidly, as early as 11 days. However, some seeds may germinate five months after sowing.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Acronychia octandra". PlantNET - NSW Flora Online. Retrieved 2010-09-06.
  2. ↑ Floyd, A.G., Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia, Inkata Press 2008, ISBN 978-0-9589436-7-3 page 347
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