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Boronia grandisepala
Boronia grandisepala in the Nitmiluk National Park
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Sapindales
Family:	Rutaceae
Genus:	Boronia
Species:	B. grandisepala
Binomial name
Boronia grandisepala F.Muell.

Boronia grandisepala is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to northern parts of the Northern Territory. It is an erect shrub with elliptic leaves and white, pink or burgundy-coloured, four-petalled flowers.

Description

Boronia grandisepala is an erect shrub that grows to 150 cm (60 in) high and wide. Its branches and leaves are covered with star-like hairs. The leaves are elliptic to almost lance-shaped, 7–55 mm (0.3–2 in) long and 1.5–14 mm (0.06–0.6 in) wide with a petiole 1.5–14 mm (0.06–0.6 in) long. The flowers are usually arranged singly in leaf axils on a pedicel up to 2.5 mm (0.1 in) long. The four sepals are larger than the petals, white, pink or burgundy coloured, broadly egg-shaped, 7–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long and 2–5.5 mm (0.08–0.2 in) wide but increase in size as the fruit develops. The four petals are 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) long and 1.5–3 mm (0.06–0.1 in) wide. Flowering occurs from December to June.

Taxonomy and naming

Boronia grandisepala was first formally described in 1859 by Ferdinand von Mueller who published the description in Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae. The specific epithet (grandisepala) is derived from the Latin words grandis meaning "great" and sepalum meaning "sepals".

There are two subspecies:

• Boronia grandisepala F.Muell. subsp. grandisepala has grey leaves up to 45 mm (2 in) long and a more dense layer of hairs;
• Boronia grandisepala subsp. acanthopida Duretto has leaves that are other than grey and up to 55 mm (2 in) long and a less dense layer of hairs. The epithet acanthopida is a reference to Deaf Adder Falls - the death adder is a member of the snake genus Acanthophis, near where this subspecies is found.

Distribution and habitat

Subspecies grandisepala grows in heath and woodland from near Jim Jim Falls to the Nitmiluk National Park. Subspecies acanthophida grows in sandstone heath and woodland between Jim Jim Falls and Deaf Adder Falls 40 km (20 mi) north.

Conservation

This boronia is classed as of "least concern" under the Northern Territory Government Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act.

References

1. ^ "Boronia grandisepala". APNI. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
2. ^ Duretto, Marco (1999). "Systematics of Boronia section Valvatae sensu lato (Rutaceae)" (PDF). Muelleria. 12 (1): 96–98. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
3. von Mueller, Ferdinand (1859). Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae (Volume 1). Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. p. 66. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
4. ^ Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
5. "Boronia grandisepala subsp. grandisepala". APNI. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
6. "Boronia grandisepala subsp. acanthopida". APNI. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
7. "Boronia grandisepala". Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 3 February 2019.

• Boronia
• Flora of the Northern Territory
• Plants described in 1859
• Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller