Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Boronia anemonifolia

Flowering branches  (subsp. anemonifolia). Photographer Don Wood, Jerrawangala Lookout west of Ulladulla

Flowering branches (subsp. variabilis). Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, ACT

Shrub (subsp. variabilis). Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, ACT

Common name

Narrow-leaved Boronia, Sticky Boronia

Family

Rutaceae

Where found

Forest, woodland, heath, and rocky areas.

subsp. anemonifolia:  Coast, ranges, and tablelands.

subsp. variabilis:  Coast, ranges, and tablelands.

subsp. wadbilligensis:  Ranges in Wadbilliga National Park and nearby to the west.

Notes

Shrub to 2 m tall. Branchlets glandular-warty, hairless, or hairy in 2 lines separated by more or less hairless leaf bases continuing down the stems. Leaves aromatic when rubbed, opposite each other, compound, 0.4-3.5 cm long, with 3–7 leaflets, or bipinnate with the lower leaflets in 3's. Leaflets 0.2–1.3 cm long, 1–6 mm wide, often folded together lengthwise, tips 3-toothed, sometimes entire, margins entire and usually curved upwards, surfaces hairless to hairy, and glandular-warty. Leaf rachis winged if there are 5 leaflets or more. Flowers with 4 white to pale pink petals each 3.5–6 mm long. Petals overlapping each other in bud. 8 stamens. Flowers in 1-9 flowered clusters.  Flowers most of the year.

Protected NSW.

subsp. anemonifolia:  Leaves 0.4–2 cm long, sparsely to moderately hairy, usually with 3 leaflets, or rarely bipinnate with the lower leaflets in 3s, tips 3-toothed. Leaflets cylindrical or flattened in cross section, terminal leaflet 0.2–0.9 cm long, 1–2.5 mm wide, about as long as the lateral leaflets. Leaf stalks 2–10 mm long. Flowers in 1–3 flowered clusters. Stalks of individual flowers 1–5 mm long. Petals persistent at the seeding stage.

subsp. variabilis:  Leaves 1.3–3.5 cm long, more or less hairless, prominently glandular, bipinnate with the lower leaflets in 3s, or pinnate with 3–7 leaflets. Leaflets simple, flattened, tips entire or 3-toothed, 0.3–1.3 cm long, 1–4 mm wide, terminal leaflet usually shorter than the lateral leaflets. Leaf stalks mostly 5–9 cm, rarely to 16 mm long. Flowers in 1–9 flowered clusters. Stalks of individual flowers 1.5–6 mm long. Petals falling early.

Vulnerable Vic.

subsp. wadbilligensis:  Leaves 0.8–1.8 cm long, densely hairy to hairless, with 3–5 leaflets. Leaflets flattened, tips entire or 3-toothed; terminal leaflet 0.4–0.9 cm long, 2–6 mm wide, shorter or the same length as the lateral leaflets. Leaf stalks 3–8 mm long. Flowers in 1-3-flowered clusters. Stalks of individual flowers 2–3.5 mm long. Petal persistence at the seeding stage unknown.

PlantNET description of species and key to subspecies:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Boronia~anemonifolia (accessed 5 January, 2021)