''Cyanothamnus occidentalis'', commonly known as the rock boronia, is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is an erect, woody shrub with pinnate or bipinnate leaves and groups of up to three white to pale pink, 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 arranged in leaf

axil A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

Description

''Cyanothamnus occidentalis'' is an erect, woody shrub that grows to a height of about . It has pinnate or bipinnate leaves with between three and seven leaflets. The leaf is long and wide in outlines, on a petiole . The end leaflet long and wide and the side leaflets are similar but longer. The flowers are white to pale pink and are arranged singly or in groups of up to three in leaf axils on a

peduncle Peduncle may refer to: *Peduncle (botany), a stalk supporting an inflorescence, which is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed *Peduncle (anatomy), a stem, through which a mass of tissue is attached to a body **Peduncle (art ...

long. The four sepals are triangular, long and wide. The four

s are long. The eight stamens are hairy on their edges and the stigma is tiny, no wider than the style. Flowering mainly occurs from July to January and the fruit is a capsule long and about wide with the petals remaining.

Taxonomy and naming

This species was first formally described in 2003 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 ...

from a specimen collected in the

Wondul Range National Park Wondul Range is a national park in Queensland, Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the islan ...

and the description was published in '' Muelleria''. In a 2013 paper in the journal '' Taxon'',

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 ...

and others changed the name to ''Cyanothamnus occidentalis'' on the basis of cladistic analysis. 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 ...

(''occidentalis'') is a Latin word meaning "western", alluding to the fact that in most places, this species has a more westerly distribution than that of other boronias.

Distribution and habitat

The rock boronia is one of the most widespread boronias and is found between Mount Sturgeon near

Hughenden Hughenden may refer to: * Hughenden, Queensland, a town in Australia *Hughenden, Alberta, a village in central Alberta, Canada * Hughenden Valley, a village in Buckinghamshire, England * Hughenden Manor, a mansion in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, E ...

in north Queensland and

Dubbo Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Gol ...

in New South Wales. It mostly grows in woodland on sandstone or in sandy soil.

Conservation

''Cyanothamnus occidentalis'' (as ''Boronia occidentalis'') is listed as of "least concern" by the Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q106902208

occidentalis This list of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names is intended to help those unfamiliar with classical languages to understand and remember the scientific names of organisms. The binomial nomenclature used for animals and plants i ...

Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Plants described in 2003 Taxa named by Marco Duretto