''Boronia citrata'', commonly known as lemon boronia, is a plant in the citrus

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Rutaceae The Rutaceae is a family, commonly known as the rueRUTACEAE
in BoDD – Botanical Der ...

and is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. It is an erect, woody shrub with

pinnate Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and in ...

, strongly lemon-scented leaves and pale pink to rosy pink, four- petalled flowers arranged in groups of up to five.

Description

''Boronia citrata'' is an erect, woody shrub that grows to a height of or higher with tiny, stiff hairs on its leaves and branches. The leaves are pinnate, long and wide in outline and with between five and eleven leaflets. The petiole is long. The end leaflet is narrow egg-shaped, long and wide and the side leaflets are longer, long and wide. The flowers are pale pink to rosy pink, and arranged singly or in groups of up to five in leaf axils or on the end of the branches. Each flower has a

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

up to long. The four

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coine ...

s are more or less triangular, long and wide and the four petals are long with their bases overlapping. The eight stamens are hairy but the

style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

is smooth. Flowering occurs from April to July and the fruit are long and wide and hairy.

Taxonomy and naming

''Boronia citrata'' was first formally described in 1993 by Neville Grant Walsh and the description was published in '' Muelleria'' from a specimen collected near Licola. The specific epithet (''citrata'') is derived from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

word ''citratus'' meaning "lemon-like", referring to the lemon scent of this species. ''

Boronia citriodora ''Boronia citriodora'', commonly known as lemon-scented boronia, lemon plant or lemon thyme, is a woody shrub that is endemic to Tasmania. It has pinnate leaves and white to pink flowers that are arranged singly or in groups of up to seven, in th ...

'' is also known as "lemon boronia" but is endemic to

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Distribution and habitat

This boronia grows in

subalpine Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

mallee and heath. It is only known from the upper catchment of the

Macalister River The Macalister River, a perennial river of the West Gippsland catchment, is located in the Alpine and Gippsland regions of the Australian state of Victoria. Location and features The Macalister River rises below Mount Howitt, part of the Great D ...

, north and east of Licola.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15388160 citrata Flora of Victoria (Australia) Plants described in 1993 Taxa named by Neville Grant Walsh