Family: Rutaceae
Boronia
Citation:
Smith, Tracts Nat. Hist. 288 (1798).
Derivation: After Francesco Borone (1769-1794), naturalist assistant of botanist John Sibthorp and helper of J.E. Smith during his European botanising in 1787.
Synonymy: Not Applicable Common name: Boronias.
Description:
Shrubs, rarely small trees; branchlets stellate-pubescent; leaves opposite and decussate, exstipulate, l-3-foliolate to imparipinnate, glabrous or stellate-tomentose.
Inflorescence axillary or terminal, few-to many-flowered cymes or flowers solitary; bracts small; flowers bisexual; sepals 4, free; petals 4, free, valvate or imbricate in bud, ovate, mostly apiculate, white or coloured; disk generally cushion-shaped, rarely deeply-lobed; stamens 8; filaments inserted at the base of the disk, often compressed, apex often abruptly narrowed, pubescent and tuberculate; anthers dorsifixed and versatile, often with apical appendages, introrsely and longitudinally dehiscent; gynoecium 4-carpellate; carpels basally fixed, mostly glabrous; ovules 2 per carpel; style inserted towards the apex of the adaxial margins of the carpels, lengthening during anthesis, mostly shorter than the stamens; stigma small and slightly wider than the style, to large and capitate.
Fruit of 1-4 basally fixed cocci, dehiscing apically and adaxially; exocarp coriaceous; seed mostly 1 per coccus, reniform to ovoid, endocarp cartilaginous and responsible for seed expulsion, ejected with the seed; outer testa membranous, inner thick, crustaceous.
Distribution:
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Predominantly Australian genus of about 96 species with 4 species endemic to New Caledonia; 7 species in S.Aust.
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Biology:
No text
Key to Species:
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2. Petals as long as or shorter than the sepals |
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B. parviflora 6. |
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2. Petals longer than the sepals |
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3. Flower mostly terminal on short branches, rarely axillary |
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B. filifolia 3. |
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4. Leaves linear, thick and obtuse, often glandular-warty; corolla blue, purplish or white |
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B. coerulescens 1. |
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4. Leaves lanceolate, acute, not obviously glandular-warty; corolla pink |
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B. nana 5. |
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5. Branchlets glabrous, smooth |
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B. filifolia 3. |
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5. Branchlets variously hairy or glanclular-warty |
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6. Branchlets glandular-warty |
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B. inornata 4. |
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6. Branchlets not glandular-warty |
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B. pilosa 7. |
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7. Leaves usually 3-foliolate |
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8. Leaves sessile; leaflet margin recurred |
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B. edwardsii 2. |
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8. Leaves petiolate; leaflet margin not recurved |
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B. nana 5. |
Author:
Not yet available
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