Byron Flora and Fauna Study 1999 - Byron Shire Council

A GREENPRINT FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Scented Acronychia (Acronychia littoralis FAMILY RUTACEAE)
Introduction. Scented Acronychia is a littoral rainforest tree with, as its name suggests, leaves which are pleasantly
aromatic when crushed. Assessment of its conservation status has been problematic since it is difficult to distinguish
from the related A. imperforata. In addition its taxonomic status has been in doubt, with a suggestion of a hybrid origin for
the taxon (Peakall and Sydes 1996). The suggestion has been discounted in more recent unpublished reports. A draft
Recovery Plan has been prepared (Hunter et al. 1991), and a new version is in preparation. Detailed species outlines have
been prepared for Scented Acronychia in New South Wales (Quinn et al. 1995) and in Queensland (Barry and Thomas
1994).
Conservation status. Scented Acronychia is listed on Schedule 1 (Endangered) of the TSC Act, 1995 and has a ROTAP
code of 3ECi (Briggs and Leigh 1996).
Habit. A small tree with dense rounded crown, up to 8 m tall (Floyd 1989).
Flowers. Pale creamy-yellow in short cymes in the upper leaf axils. Flowering period January to February (Floyd 1989).
Fruit. A fleshy drupe, cream and broadly ovate, 10-15 mm diameter. An inner horny mesocarp contains four cells each
with a single seed (Floyd 1989).
Habitat. Floyd (1989) describes Scented Acronychia as occurring in littoral rainforest close to the sea or in wet sclerophyll
forest on sandy coastal plains.
Distribution. From the Clarence to the Tweed Rivers, NSW. Recorded from Esk River; Broken Head NR; Ocean Shores;
Bogangar (Floyd 1989). More recent records extend the range of Scented Acronychia into Queensland, and a number of
other locations in NSW are also known (Hunter et al. 1991, A. Murray pers. comm.). Details of other locations in the
Byron Shire were compiled during this study.
Regeneration and horticulture. Germination of seeds of Scented Acronychia is unreliable and slow, since seeds are enclosed
in a hard mesocarp and seeds are not always present inside (Hunter et al. 1991 and C. Gross, unpublished
reports). Growth from root suckers is common in natural populations (Hunter et al. 1991), and regeneration is apparently
associated with disturbance.
Economic and cultural significance. The eating qualities of the fruit make Scented Acronychia of potential interest to the
bush food industry but the rarity of the plant and the difficulty of its propagation suggest that its potential is unlikely to
be developed in the short term. Otherwise, no particular use or significance is known apart from the aesthetic and
ecological values of all native rainforest species.
Abundance and reservation. Details of eight locations in the study area were compiled, and Scented Acronychia is
reserved at three locations in the Shire. Briggs and Leigh (1996) consider Scented Acronychia to be inadequately
conserved.
Threats and amelioration. Habitat clearing and modification, roadworks, coastal storms.
To improve the conservation status of Scented Acronychia, the health of the populations and their regeneration potential
should be enhanced by weed management, fire protection and replanting of surrounding habitat. However, the littoral
rainforest which is the preferred habitat of Scented Acronychia is depleted and fragmented in the Shire.
134