Boronia citriodora

Boronia citriodora, commonly known as lemon-scented boronia,[2] lemon plant or lemon thyme,[3][4] 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 the leaf axils or on the ends of the branches.

habit in a subalpine sclerophyll woodland

Lemon-scented boronia
Boronia citriodora on Needle Rock
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Boronia
Species:
B. citriodora
Binomial name
Boronia citriodora
Occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium

Description

Boronia citriodora is a woody shrub that is sometimes prostrate, otherwise erect and growing to a height of 3 m (9.8 ft). It has pinnate leaves that are 7–25 mm (0.28–0.98 in) long and 7–30 mm (0.28–1.2 in) wide in outline with between three and nine leaflets, on a petiole 1.5–6 mm (0.059–0.24 in) long. The end leaflet is narrow elliptic to narrow lance-shaped, 3.5–15 mm (0.14–0.59 in) long and 0.5–4 mm (0.020–0.16 in) wide. The side leaflets are similar but longer. The flowers are white to pink and are arranged singly or in groups of up to seven in leaf axils or on the ends of branches on a stalk 1–8 mm (0.039–0.31 in) long. The four sepals are triangular, 0.5–2.5 mm (0.02–0.1 in) long and wide. The four petals are 3.5–8.5 mm (0.1–0.3 in) long and the eight stamens have a few short hairs. Flowering occurs from November to February and the mature fruit are smooth, 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long and 1.5–2 mm (0.059–0.079 in) wide.[5][4]

Taxonomy and naming

Boronia citriodora was first formally described in 1855 by Joseph Dalton Hooker from an unpublished description by Ronald Campbell Gunn and the description was published in The botany of the Antarctic voyage of H.M. Discovery ships Erebus and Terror.[6][7] The name is derived from the characteristic lemon scent of the foliage. Hooker noted that the plant has a "strong and delicious smell of lemons" and that the species was called the 'lemon-plant' by early Tasmanian colonists.[5][7]

In 2003, Marco Duretto described three subspecies:[5]

  • Boronia citriodora subsp. citriodora that has smooth sepals and leaves less than 15 mm (0.59 in) long;
  • Boronia citriodora subsp. orientalis that has hairy sepals;
  • Boronia citriodora subsp. paulwilsonii that has smooth sepals and at least some leaves more than 15 mm (0.59 in) long.

Distribution and habitat

Lemon-scented boronia grows in heath, woodland and near rainforest, often in rocky places.[5]

Use in horticulture

Boronia citriodora is cultivated as an ornamental plant for use in gardens. It tolerates sun, shade, wind, heavy frost; and dry, sandy or waterlogged soils.[10]

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References
  1. "Boronia citriodora". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  2. Co, Schimmel &; Leipzig, Schimmel & Co. Aktiengesellschaft, Miltitz bei (1926). Annual Report on Essential Oils, Aromatic Chemicals and Related Materials. Schimmel & Company. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  3. "Boronia citriodora". Atlas of Living Australia. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  4. "Boronia citriodora". Understorey Network Incorporated. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  5. Duretto, Marco F. (2003). "Notes on Boronia (Rutaceae) in eastern and northern Australia" (PDF). Muelleria. 17: 79–83. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  6. "Boronia citriodora". APNI. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  7. Hooker, Joseph D. (1860). The botany of the Antarctic voyage of H.M. discovery ships Erebus and Terror in the Years 1839-1843 :under the command of Captain Sir James Clark Ross. London: Lovell Reeve. p. 68. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  8. UTas.edu.au: Boronia citriodora
  9. "Boronia citriodora". University of Tasmania. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  10. "Boronia citriodora". Plant This. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
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