Boronia tenuis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Boronia tenuis |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Boronia
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| Species: |
tenuis
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| Occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium | |
| Synonyms | |
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Cyanothamnus tenuisLindl. |
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The Boronia tenuis, also known as the blue boronia, is a special plant. It belongs to the citrus family, called Rutaceae. This plant only grows in the southwest part of Western Australia. This means it is endemic there. It is a thin shrub with leaves that look like threads. Its flowers have four petals. They are white to pink on the front and a light blue on the back.
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What Does Blue Boronia Look Like?
Boronia tenuis is a thin, woody shrub. It usually grows to be about 10 to 50 centimeters (4 to 20 inches) tall. Its leaves are like thin threads. They are 5 to 20 millimeters (0.2 to 0.8 inches) long. They sit directly on the stem without a stalk. There is a small groove or channel along the top of each leaf.
The flowers grow either alone or in small groups of two or three. They appear where the leaves meet the stem. Each flower has a thin stalk, called a pedicel, which is 7 to 15 millimeters long. There are four small, narrow, triangular parts called sepals. These sepals are about 3 millimeters long. The petals are the colorful parts of the flower. They are white to pink on the front. But on the back, they are a pale blue with a darker line down the middle. These petals are 6 to 7 millimeters long. You can usually see this plant flowering from August to December.
How Did Blue Boronia Get Its Name?
This plant was first officially described in 1839. A scientist named John Lindley gave it the name Cyanothamnus tenuis. He wrote about it in his book, A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony. Later, in 1863, another scientist named George Bentham changed its name to Boronia tenuis.
The second part of its name, tenuis, is a Latin word. It means "thin". This name perfectly describes the plant's slender look.
Where Does Blue Boronia Grow?
This type of boronia likes to grow in stony soils. You can find it on areas made of laterite and granite rock. It lives on the Darling Scarp. This is a long, low ridge of hills in Western Australia. It grows between the towns of Dwellingup and Wannamal. These areas are part of the Jarrah Forest and Swan Coastal Plain regions.
Is Blue Boronia Protected?
The Government of Western Australia's Department of Parks and Wildlife keeps track of special plants like the blue boronia. They have listed Boronia tenuis as "Priority Four". This means that the plant is rare. It is also considered to be "near threatened". This means it could become endangered if we don't protect its habitat.
