Boronia heterophylla, commonly known as red boronia[1] or Kalgan boronia, is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae, and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, slender shrub with trifoliate leaves and deep pink to red, four-petalled flowers arranged singly in leaf axils.
Boronia heterophylla is a shrub which grows to a height of NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 and has slender branches. The leaves are usually trifoliate with linear leaflets NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long on a petiole NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long. The leaves are only rarely simple. The flowers are deep pink to red and arranged singly in leaf axils on a thin, top-shaped, hanging pedicel about 10sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long. The four sepals are more or less round with a pointed tip and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long. The four petals are about 8sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and hairy on the inner side. The eight stamens alternate in length. The stamens near the sepals are black, sterile and about 1.2sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and the ones near the petals are fertile but only about 0.5sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long. Flowering from September to November.[2]
Boronia heterophylla was first formally described in 1860 by Ferdinand von Mueller and the description was published in Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae.[3] [4] The specific epithet (heterophylla) is derived from the ancient Greek words meaning "different" and meaning "leaf",[5] referring to the variable leaves.
The red boronia is usually found growing near streams between Busselton and Albany in the Esperance Plains, Jarrah Forest, Swan Coastal Plain and Warren biogeographic regions of Western Australia.
Boronia heterophylla is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife.