| Boronia verecunda | |
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| Species: | B. verecunda
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| Binomial name | |
| Boronia verecunda | |
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| Occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium | |
Boronia verecunda is a species of plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to a small area in the Northern Territory, Australia. It is an erect, glabrous shrub with simple, sessile, wedge-shaped leaves, pale yellow petals and green sepals that are longer and wider than the petals. It is only known from a population of about fifteen plants.
Description
editSubshrub to 40 cm tall. Young branches with moderately dense stellate indumentum. Stellate hairs with 9–15 rays; rays weak, flexuous, dull, light pink to white. Leaves sessile or petiolate; petiole to 1 mm long; lamina narrowly elliptic to narrowly lanceolate, 13–27 (–50) mm long, 2–4 (–8) mm wide, attenuate to cuneate at base, acute, with sparse to moderately dense stellate indumentum. Peduncle 0.5–1 mm long; pedicel 1–1.5 mm long. Perianth white or pink, becoming green when in fruit. Sepals ovate-deltate, 6–7 mm long, 1.5–3 mm wide, acute to acuminate; abaxial surface glabrous or with sparse stellate indumentum. Petals 3.5–4.5 mm long, 1.5–2.5 mm wide; adaxial surface glabrous or hairy.[2]
Boronia verecunda is an erect shrub that typically grows to a height of about 1.5 m (5 ft) and has stems that are more or less square in cross-section. The plant is glabrous apart from the petals, which have star-like hairs, especially on their backs. The leaves are simple, sessile and wedge-shaped, 23–55 mm (0.91–2.2 in) long and 12–20 mm (0.5–0.8 in) wide. The flowers are borne on a peduncle 2–4 mm (0.08–0.2 in) long, individual flowers on a pedicel 0.5–3 mm (0.02–0.1 in) long. The sepals are green, triangular, 5.5–6 mm (0.22–0.24 in) long and about 3 mm (0.1 in) wide. The petals are pale yellow, 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long and about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide. The sepals and petals enlarge as the fruit develops. Flowering has been observed in March, May and August and the fruit is a capsule about 6 mm (0.24 in) and 3.5 mm (0.14 in) wide.[3][4][2]
Taxonomy and naming
editBoronia verecunda was first formally described in 1997 by Marco F. Duretto who published the description in Australian Systematic Botany.[5] The specific epithet (quadrilata) is derived from the Latin words quadrus meaning "fourfold"[6]: 351 and latus meaning "side".[6]: 710
Distribution and habitat
editBoronia verecunda grows in pockets of sand in sandstone outcrops and on scree slopes, in open woodland in the Magela Creek gorges to the east of Kakadu National Park. The total population consists of between ten and fifteen plants on a single ridge.[3][4][7]
Conservation status
editThis boronia is classified as "near threatened" under the TPWCA Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The main threats to the species are its small population size, restricted distribution, and altered fire regimes.[7]
References
edit- ^ "Boronia verecunda". APC. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- ^ a b Duretto, Marco F.; Wilson, Paul G.; Ladiges, Pauline Y. "Boronia verecunda". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of the Environment and Energy, Canberra. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- ^ a b Duretto, Marco F. (1999). "Systematics of Boronia section Valvatae sensu lato (Rutaceae)" (PDF). Muelleria. 12 (1): 90–91. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ a b "Boronia verecunda". Northern Territory Government flora online. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- ^ "Boronia verecunda". APNI. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ a b Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
- ^ a b "National recovery plan for Boronia quadrilata and Boronia viridiflora in the Northern Territory of Australia" (PDF). Department of Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts, Northern Territory. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
verecunda
Category:Flora of the Northern Territory
Category:Plants described in 1999
Category:Taxa named by Marco Duretto