Cyanothamnus inflexus explained

Cyanothamnus inflexus is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to tablelands near the New South Wales - Queensland border in Australia. It is an erect, woody shrub with pinnate leaves and up to seven white to pink four-petalled flowers in the leaf axils. Boronia bipinnata is similar but has larger, bipinnate or tripinnate leaves and smaller sepals and petals.

Description

Cyanothamnus inflexus is an erect, woody shrub that grows to a height of about 2sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 and a width of about 3sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1. The leaves are pinnate, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide in outline on a petiole NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long. The end leaflet is linear, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide, the side leaflets similar or longer. Up to three, sometimes up to seven white to pink flowers are arranged on a stalk NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long. The four sepals are triangular, mostly glabrous, NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long and NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 wide. The four petals are NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long, sometimes with a few hairs. The eight stamens are hairy and the stigma is about the same width as the style. Flowering occurs from June to December and the fruit are NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long and NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 wide.[1] [2] [3]

Taxonomy and naming

This species was first formally described in 2003 by Marco F. Duretto who gave it the name Boronia inflexa in the journal Muelleria from a specimen collected in Girraween National Park.[4] In a 2013 paper in the journal Taxon, Marco Duretto and others changed the name to Cyanothamnus inflexus on the basis of cladistic analysis.[5] The specific epithet (inflexus) is a Latin word referring to the edges of the sepals, near their tip.

In the same 2003 paper, Duretto described four new subspecies. The names have subsequently been changed to reflect the change in the genus name:

Distribution and habitat

Cyanothamnus inflexus grows in heath, woodland and forest on granite and in soils derived from granite. Subspecies inflexus occurs between Stanthorpe and the Girraween National Park and disjunctly in the Gibraltar Range National Park and subspecies montiazureus on a small hill near Applethorpe north of Stanthorpe. Subspecies grandiflorus occurs near Amiens and Lyra and subspecies torringtonensis is restricted to the Torrington area in New South Wales.

Conservation

Cyanothamnus inflexus subsp. montiazureus (as Boronia inflexa subsp. montiazura is classed as "least concern" under the Queensland Government Nature Conservation Act 1992.[9]

Notes and References

  1. Duretto . Marco F. . Notes on Boronia (Rutaceae) in eastern and northern Australia . Muelleria . 2003 . 17 . 40–44 . 1 September 2023.
  2. Web site: Duretto . Marco F. . Wilson . Paul G. . Ladiges . Pauline Y. . Boronia inflexa . Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of the Environment and Energy, Canberra . 22 March 2019.
  3. Web site: Duretto . Marco F. . Boronia inflexa . Royal Botanic Garden Sydney . 22 March 2019.
  4. Web site: Boronia inflexa. APNI. 22 March 2019.
  5. Duretto . Marco F. . Heslewood . Margaret M. . Bayly . Michael J. . Boronia (Rutaceae) is polyphyletic: Reinstating Cyanothamnus and the problems associated with inappropriately defined outgroups . Taxon . 2020 . 69 . 3 . 481–499 . 10.1002/tax.12242.
  6. Web site: Cyanothamnus inflexus subsp. montiazureus . Plants of the World Online . 22 September 2021.
  7. Web site: Cyanothamnus inflexus subsp. grandiflorus . Plants of the World Online . 22 September 2021.
  8. Web site: Cyanothamnus inflexus subsp. torringtonensis . Plants of the World Online . 22 September 2021.
  9. Web site: Boronia inflexa subsp. montiazura . The State of Queensland Department of Environment and Science . 22 March 2019.