Species profile—Boronia safrolifera (safrole boronia)
Classification
Plantae (plants) → Equisetopsida (land plants) → Rutaceae → Boronia safrolifera (safrole boronia)
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Sighting data
Species details
- Kingdom
- Plantae (plants)
- Class
- Equisetopsida (land plants)
- Family
- Rutaceae
- Scientific name
- Boronia safrolifera Cheel
- Common name
- safrole boronia
- WildNet taxon ID
- 13664
- Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NCA) status
- Least concern
- Conservation significant
- No
- Confidential
- No
- Wetland status
- Wetland Indicator Species
- Endemicity
- Native
- Pest status
- Nil
- Description
- Boronia safrolifera is a small, slender shrub growing to 2.5m. The branchlets are sparsely to moderately covered with fine hairs, becoming hairless with age. The leaves are pinnate (separate leaflets along each side of a common stalk) with 7-19 leaflets and the terminal leaflet shortest (2.5-7 mm long). The midrib is slightly winged and often curved, 2-4cm long. The leaflets are narrow elliptic to obovate (reverse egg-shaped), with a short pointed tip, the margins slightly toothed or entire and recurved (curved under). Leaflets have a paler lower surface, may be hairless or slightly hairy and measure 3-18mm long by 1-3.5mm wide.
Flowers are deep pink (occasionally pale or white) with petals 4.5-7mm long. Fruits are a compressed oblong shape, hairless and about 3-4.5mm long. (Stanley & Ross 1983; Duretto 2003; Weston & Duretto 2003) - Distribution
- This species is known to occur in coastal areas from Bribie Island, Queensland to Port Stephens, New South Wales. (Stanlay & Ross 1983; Weston & Duretto 2003)
- Distributional limits
- -27.0342872, 153.0843943
-28.0900672, 153.5010596 - Range derivation
- Range derived from extent of the taxon's verified records
- Habitat
- Boronia safrolifera occurs in swamps or badly draining, wet, sandy areas in heath (wallum). (Stanley & Ross 1983)
- Behaviour
- When the leaves are crushed their odour is similar to that of safrole (an oily substance extracted from the fruit of the sassafras plant). (Stanley & Ross 1983)
- Reproduction
- Flowering occurs mainly from August to November, and sometimes in autumn. (Stanley & Ross 1983; Weston & Duretto 2003)
- Notes
- Contributors: Ailsa Holland, Mellisa Mayhew 27/01/2009
- References
- Duretto, M.F. (2003). Notes on Boronia (Rutaceae) in eastern and northern Australia. Muelleria 17: 19-135.
Stanley, T.D. & Ross, E.M. (1983). Flora of south-eastern Queensland (volume 1). Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Brisbane.
Weston, P.H. and Duretto, M.F. (2003). Boronia safrolifera, in PlantNet: New South Wales Flora Online. National Herbarium of New South Wales. Accessed 25/09/2008. http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/ - Profile author
- Ailsa Holland (27/01/2009)
Other resources
The Australasian Virtual Herbarium (AVH) Atlas of Living Australia
Data source
This profile data is sourced from the QLD Wildlife Data API using the Get species by ID function used under CC-By 4.0https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/species/?op=getspeciesbyid&taxonid=13664
This information is sourced from the WildNet database managed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.
