''Boronia forsteri'' is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to mountain ranges in central Queensland, Australia. It is an erect shrub with many branches, simple leaves with a densely hairy, pale underside, and pink, four-

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

led flowers.

Description

''Boronia forsteri'' is an erect, many-branched shrub which grows to a height of about with its young branches densely covered with white to yellow hairs. The leaves are elliptic to egg-shaped, long and wide and lack a petiole. The lower surface of the leaf is a much paler colour than the upper surface and has a dense layer of hairs. Usually only one but sometimes up to three pink flowers are arranged on a hairy stalk up to long. The four sepals are egg-shaped to triangular, densely hairy, long and wide. The four

s are long, wide but enlarge as the fruit develop. The eight

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s are hairy. Flowering occurs in September and October and the fruit are long and about wide.

Taxonomy and naming

''Boronia forsteri'' was first formally described in 1999 by

Marco F. Duretto Marco Duretto (born 1964) is a manager and senior research scientist at the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney in Australia. His primary research interests are systematics and conservation of Rutaceae, Rubiaceae, Orchidaceae, Stylidiaceae and evo ...

and the description was published in the journal '' Austrobaileya'' from a specimen collected near the property "Glenhaugton". The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''forsteri'') honours the Australian botanist Paul Irwin Forster.

Distribution and habitat

This boronia grows in woodland and forest in sandstone country in the Chesterton, Carnarvon and

Expedition Range Expedition Range is a mountain range within the Central Highlands sandstone region of Queensland, Australia. Robinson Creek cuts a 100 metres deep gorge through sandstone clifflines. Many spectacular side gorges add to the appeal of the area, ...

s and in the Central Highlands of Queensland.

Conservation

''Boronia forsteri'' is classed as "least concern" under the Queensland Government Nature Conservation Act 1992.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15390419 forsteri Flora of Queensland Plants described in 1999 Taxa named by Marco Duretto