''Boronia imlayensis'', commonly known as the Mount Imlay boronia, is a shrub of the genus ''

Boronia ''Boronia'' is a genus of about 160 species of flowering plants in the citrus family Rutaceae. Most are endemic to Australia with a few species in New Caledonia, which were previously placed in the genus ''Boronella''. They occur in all Austra ...

'' which has been recorded only on the sandstone ridge near the summit of

Mount Imlay Mount Imlay is a national park in New South Wales (Australia), 387 km south of Sydney, named after the Imlay brothers, who were early pioneers to the district. It is accessed from the Princes Highway, south of Eden, New South Wales. The ...

, in southern New South Wales. A small shrub to 1 m (3 ft) high with pinnate leaves and pink to white flowers, it is found in

eucalypt Eucalypt is a descriptive name for woody plants with capsule fruiting bodies belonging to seven closely related genera (of the tribe Eucalypteae) found across Australasia: ''Eucalyptus'', '' Corymbia'', '' Angophora'', ''Stockwellia'', ''Allosyn ...

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

Description

''Boronia imlayensis'' grows as a small shrub to 1 m (3 ft) high. It has hairy, warty stems, and pinnate leaves, which are made up of seven to eleven smaller leaflets, each one lozenge-shaped and measuring 3.5 to 16 mm in length and 1–4 mm wide. Flowering occurs in late spring and early summer (September to December). The inflorescences are made up of three to nine small flowers which range in colour from white to a dark pink. Each flower has four petals which range from 5 to 7.5 mm in length.

Taxonomy

''Boronia imlayensis'' was first formally described in 2003 by botanist

Marco 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 evolut ...

in the journal '' Muelleria'' from specimens he collected on a Mt Imlay ridgetop in 1995. Its specific name refers to the place where it is found, Mount Imlay. Within the genus ''

'', this species is placed in the type

series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used i ...

''Boronia'' which contains well known species such as ''

Boronia megastigma ''Boronia megastigma'', commonly known as brown boronia, sweet-scented boronia or scented boronia, is a plant in the citrus Family (biology), family Rutaceae and is Endemism, endemic to the Southwest Australia, south-west of Western Australia. It ...

''. Within this, it belongs to a group of 25 species of pinnate-leaved boronias from southeastern Australia, many of which have restricted ranges. Its relatives include '' B. citriodora'', '' B. gunnii'', '' B. latipinna'', '' B. muelleri'', '' B. pinnata'', '' B. rivularis'', '' B. safrolifera'' and '' B. thujona''.

Distribution and habitat

The species is found only in eucalypt woodland on a ridge atop Mount Imlay in

Mount Imlay National Park Mount Imlay is a national park in New South Wales ( Australia), 387 km south of Sydney, named after the Imlay brothers, who were early pioneers to the district. It is accessed from the Princes Highway, south of Eden, New South Wales. Th ...

near Eden in far southern New South Wales. As of April 2010 there is no official status for this rare plant, despite it being found only at Mount Imlay in an area which is only 500 metres long by about 50 metres wide.

Cultivation

The species is unknown in cultivation. Boronias in general are sensitive to

dieback Dieback may refer to a number of plant problems and diseases including: * Forest dieback caused by acid rain, heavy metal pollution, or imported pathogens * The death of regions of a plant or similar organism caused by physical damage, such as from ...

and tend to be short-lived. File:Boronia imlayensis.jpg, Mount Imlay Boronia File:Boronia imlayensis flower mass.jpg, Prolific flowering in early November File:Boronia Mt Imlay5.JPG, Leaves and fruiting capsule File:Boronia imlayensis close-up.JPG, Flower File:Boronia Mt Imlay2.JPG, Boronia flowers are almost always four petaled. This is a five petaled flower of ''Boronia imlayensis'' File:20110903 Boronia imlayensis 2.jpg, Flowers just opening in early September File:20110903 Boronia imlayensis 3.jpg, Flowers just opening in early September

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4946277 imlayensis Flora of New South Wales Endemic flora of Australia Apiales of Australia Plants described in 2003 Taxa named by Marco Duretto