Boronia penicillata facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Boronia penicillata |
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| Occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium |
Boronia penicillata is a plant in the citrus family, Rutaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a low, spreading shrub with pinnate leaves and white flowers with four petals and eight stamens.
Description
Boronia penicillata is a spreading shrub that grows to a height of 30 cm (10 in). The leaves are sessile and pinnate with three or five leaflets, each leaflet linear to narrow wedge-shaped and 5–12 mm (0.2–0.5 in) long. The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils on a pedicel 1–2 mm (0.04–0.08 in) long. The four sepals are egg-shaped, 1.5–2 mm (0.059–0.079 in) long and the four petals are white and 2–3.5 mm (0.079–0.14 in) long. The eight stamens are slightly hairy and there is a very short point on the end of the anthers. Flowering occurs mainly from October to November.
Taxonomy and naming
Boronia penicillata was first formally described in 1863 by George Bentham from a specimen collected by James Drummond and the description was published in Flora Australiensis. The specific epithet (penicillata) is derived from the Latin word penicillum meaning "little tail", "painter's brush" or "tuft".
Distribution and habitat
This boronia grows in sand and has a disjunct distribution between Toodyay and the Fitzgerald River.
Conservation
Boronia penicillata is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
