Schouten Island boronia facts for kids

The Boronia rozefeldsii, often called the Schouten Island boronia, is a special plant. It belongs to the citrus family and is found only on a small island in Tasmania, Australia. This plant is a woody shrub that grows straight up. It has leaves made of several small parts, and its flowers are pink with four petals. It looks a bit like another plant, B. pilosa, which also grows on the same island. However, the Schouten Island boronia has larger petals and fewer hairs on its tiny leaf parts.

About the Schouten Island Boronia

The Schouten Island boronia is a woody shrub that stands upright. It can grow up to about 50 centimetres (20 inches) tall. Its leaves are "pinnate," meaning they look like a feather with smaller leaflets branching off a main stem.

Leaves and Flowers

The leaves are usually 10 to 20 millimetres (0.4 to 0.8 inches) long and 22 to 26 millimetres (0.9 to 1.0 inch) wide. Each leaf has a small stalk, called a petiole, which is 1 to 3 millimetres long. There are usually three to seven small leaflets on each leaf. The leaflet at the very end is narrow and shaped like an egg, about 7 to 8.5 millimetres long and 2.5 to 4 millimetres wide. The leaflets on the sides are similar but a bit longer.

The plant has clusters of three to seven flowers. These flowers grow on a short stalk, called a peduncle, which is 1 to 2 millimetres long. Each individual flower has its own tiny stalk, called a pedicel, about 3 to 6 millimetres long.

Flower Parts

Each flower has four narrow, triangle-shaped sepals, which are like small leaves that protect the bud. These sepals are about 2 millimetres long and have long hairs. The four petals are pink and are 8 to 10 millimetres long. They have hairs on the edges of their backs. Inside the flower, there are eight stamens, which are the parts that produce pollen. These stamens are hairy and have small, bumpy glands near their tips. The stigma, which is the part that receives pollen, is very tiny. This plant has been seen flowering in November.

Discovery and Naming

How it Got its Name

The Boronia rozefeldsii was officially described for the first time in 2003. This description was made by a scientist named Marco F. Duretto and was published in a science magazine called Muelleria. The second part of its scientific name, rozefeldsii, was chosen to honor Andrew Rozefelds. He was the person who first realized that this plant was a new and unique species.

Where it Lives

This special boronia plant grows in small, shallow cracks found on bare granite rocks. You can find these rocks on Schouten Island, which is part of the Freycinet National Park in Tasmania.