Slender boronia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Slender boronia |
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| Occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium |
The Slender Boronia (scientific name: Boronia filifolia) is a beautiful plant that belongs to the citrus family, called Rutaceae. This plant is special because it is endemic to south-eastern Australia, meaning it naturally grows only there. It is a thin, tall shrub with simple or pinnate leaves. Its flowers are usually pale to deep pink and have four petals.
About the Slender Boronia Plant
The Slender Boronia is a thin, smooth shrub that can grow up to about 50 cm (20 in) (about half a meter) tall. Its leaves can be simple, meaning they are just one blade, or they can have three leaflets (like a clover leaf). These leaves grow on a small stalk called a petiole, which is about 2–8 mm (0.08–0.3 in) long.
The simple leaves are long and narrow, like a line, measuring 3–30 mm (0.1–1 in) long and 1–1.5 mm (0.04–0.06 in) wide. If the leaves have three leaflets, each leaflet is similar in size, about 3–10 mm (0.1–0.4 in) long and 1–1.5 mm (0.04–0.06 in) wide.
The flowers of the Slender Boronia are pale to deep pink. They usually grow one by one where a leaf meets the stem, near the end of the branches. Each flower sits on a small stalk called a pedicel, which is about 2–13 mm (0.08–0.5 in) long.
Each flower has four sepals, which are like small, leaf-like parts that protect the bud. These sepals are triangular or egg-shaped, about 1–3 mm (0.04–0.1 in) long. The four petals are 4–12 mm (0.2–0.5 in) long and 1.2–3 mm (0.05–0.1 in) wide, and they overlap at their bases. The stamens, which are the parts that produce pollen, are covered with tiny, sticky hairs. Slender Boronia plants usually bloom from July to February.
Naming the Slender Boronia
The scientific name Boronia filifolia was first officially described in 1858. A scientist named Ferdinand von Mueller wrote about it in his book Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae. He found a sample of the plant near a place called Encounter Bay.
The second part of its scientific name, filifolia, comes from two Latin words. Filum means "thread," and folia means "leaves." This name was chosen because the plant has very narrow, thread-like leaflets.
Where Does Slender Boronia Grow?
The Slender Boronia plant likes to grow in different types of environments. You can find it in areas called heathlands, in mallee woodlands, and in other woodland areas.
In South Australia, it is found on the Eyre and Fleurieu Peninsulas. It is also very common on Kangaroo Island.
In Victoria, this plant is quite rare. It is only known to grow in the Little Desert National Park and a part of the Big Desert, close to the border with South Australia. There is also a separate group of these plants near Portland, which is called a disjunct population because it's far from the main group.
