Botanical art
Common names
Slender Boronia
Etymology
Boronia named after Francesco Borone (1769-1794), an Italian botanical enthusiast who accompanied many botanical expeditions and impressed Smith (person who described the genus) with his enthusiasm and ability. Filifolia from the Latin 'filum' meaning thread and 'folia' meaning leaf,  referring to the very narrow leaflets.
Distribution and status
Found on the southern Eyre Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, southern Mount Lofty Ranges and the upper South-east in South Australia, growing in mallee on deep sand. Also found in Victoria. Native. Common in South Australia. Rare in Victoria.
Herbarium regions: Eyre Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Small perennial shrub to 50 cm high with glabrous branches. Leaves simple or pinnate with 3(–5) leaflets. Simple leaves linear to narrow-obovate, to 30 mm long and 1.5 mm wide, petioles to 0.5 mm long; pinnate leaves with leaflets narrow-obovate, to 10 mm long and 1.5 mm wide, petioles 2–8 mm long; lamina of both types terete or subterete, slightly discolorous. Flowers mostly terminal on short branchlets, solitary, rarely in 2- or 3 with pink petals. Flowering between August and October. Fruits are brown, two to four segmented capsule. Seeds are black, oblong to 2.5 mm long and 1.5 mm wide. Seed embryo type is linear fully developed.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between October and January. Collect mature capsules, those that are turning a pale straw colour and contain hard seeds. Place the capsules in a tray and leave to dry for a weeks. Then rub the capsules gently by hand to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate the unwanted material. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place. Seed viability can be low. This species has physiological dormancy and can be difficult to germinate.
| Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSB | 1,220 (2.08 g) | >100 | 18-Jan-2006 | DJD343 Southern Lofty |
Number of plants: This is the number of plants from which the seeds were collected.
Collection location: The Herbarium of South Australia's region name.
% Viability: Percentage of filled healthy seeds determined by a cut test or x-ray.