Kimberley cliff boronia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kimberley cliff boronia |
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The Boronia cremnophila, also known as the Kimberley cliff boronia, is a special plant. It belongs to the citrus family, called Rutaceae. This plant grows only in a small area of the Kimberley region in Western Australia.
It is a shrub that can grow upright or spread out. It has two kinds of leaves: simple (single) and trifoliate (with three leaflets). Its flowers have white sepals and petals. The sepals are larger than the petals.
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What the Kimberley Cliff Boronia Looks Like
The Kimberley cliff boronia is a shrub that grows upright or spreads out. It can reach about 80 centimeters (31 inches) tall. It can also spread up to 100 centimeters (39 inches) wide.
Most of its leaves are trifoliate, meaning they have three small leaflets. The leaflet at the end is usually 6 to 18 millimeters long. It is also about 1.5 to 3 millimeters wide. The two side leaflets are a bit shorter.
The flowers of this plant are white. Each flower grows alone on a tiny stalk called a pedicel. This stalk is only about 1 millimeter long.
- Sepals: There are four sepals, which are like small leaves that protect the flower bud. They are narrow and triangular. They are white with light green tips. Each sepal is about 3.5 to 4.5 millimeters long and 1 to 1.5 millimeters wide. They are larger than the petals and feel hairy.
- Petals: There are four petals, which are the colorful parts of the flower. They are white with a little pink at their base. Each petal is about 3 to 3.5 millimeters long and 0.5 to 1.0 millimeter wide. They are also hairy.
- Stamens: The flower has eight stamens, which are the parts that make pollen. They are hairy. The stamens closest to the petals are a bit longer than those near the sepals.
How it Got its Name
The Boronia cremnophila was officially named in 2015. This was done by three scientists: Russell Barrett, Matthew Barrett, and Marco Duretto. They published their description in a science journal called Nuytsia. They studied a plant they found near Mount Elizabeth Station.
The second part of its scientific name, cremnophila, tells us something special. It comes from an ancient Greek word, krēmnos, which means 'cliff'. The part -philus means 'loving'. So, cremnophila means 'cliff-loving'. This name was chosen because this plant likes to grow on cliffs.
Where it Lives
This special boronia plant is only found in a few spots. These places are all near the Mount Elizabeth Station homestead. It grows in small cracks and openings in sandstone cliffs. It likes to live in these vertical rock fissures.
Protecting the Kimberley Cliff Boronia
The Government of Western Australia's Department of Parks and Wildlife has given the Boronia cremnophila a special classification. It is listed as "Priority One".
This means that the plant is known to exist in only one or a few places. These places could be at risk of being disturbed or damaged. Because it is a "Priority One" plant, it needs special attention and protection to help it survive.
