It has simple, elliptical leaves, small groups of flowers in leaf axils and more or less spherical fruit.

[2][3] Acronychia acidula was first formally described in 1864 by Victorian state botanist Ferdinand von Mueller in Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae from specimens collected by John Dallachy in the Seaview Range near Rockingham Bay.

[6] Lemon aspen grows in rainforest at altitudes of up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) from the Atherton Tableland to the Eungella Range in Queensland.

[8] The tree is grown in small-scale commercial bushfood orchards on the east coast of Australia from North Queensland to northern New South Wales.

It prefers well-drained and fertile clay loam soils, with a sunny aspect and extra moisture when young.