Boronia defoliata

Boronia defoliata is a plant in the citrus family, Rutaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a straggly shrub with simple, thread-like leaves and white to pink, four-petalled flowers that are pale blue on the back.

Boronia defoliata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Boronia
Species:
B. defoliata
Binomial name
Boronia defoliata
Occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium

Description

Boronia defoliata is a straggly shrub with thin stems and that grows to a height of about 60 cm (20 in). Its branches and leaves are glabrous. The leaves are simple, often fall off early and thread-like or more or less thin cylindrical, about 5 mm (0.2 in) long. The flowers are borne in branching groups on the ends of the branches and in leaf axils on thin pedicels 3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long. The four sepals are broadly egg-shaped and leathery, about 2 mm (0.08 in) long. The four petals are elliptic, white to pink on the upper surface and pale blue with a darker strip below and 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) long. The eight stamens have woolly hairs and the style is thin with a minute stigma. Flowering occurs from September to October.[2][3]

Taxonomy and naming

Boronia defoliata was first formally described in 1875 by Ferdinand von Mueller and the description was published in Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae. The type specimen was collected by James Drummond.[4][5]

Distribution and habitat

This boronia grows in sand, gravel and laterite between Capel and Manjimup in the Jarrah Forest, Mallee, Swan Coastal Plain and Warren biogeographic regions.[2][3]

Conservation

Boronia defoliata is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.[3]

References
  1. "Boronia defoliata". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  2. Duretto, Marco F.; Wilson, Paul G.; Ladiges, Pauline Y. "Boronia defoliata". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of the Environment and Energy, Canberra. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  3. "Boronia defoliata". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  4. "Boronia defoliata". APNI. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  5. von Mueller, Ferdinand (1875). Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae (Volume 9). p. 113. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
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