Botanical art
Common names
Island Boronia
Edwards' 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. Edwardsii name by George Bentham in 1863 from a specimen collected by "Edwards" near Mount Barker, from Ferinand von Mueller's herbarium.
Distribution and status
Endemic to South Australia and found on Kangaroo Island and the southern Mount Lofty Ranges, growing in mallee communities on sand. Native. Common in South Australia.
Herbarium regions: Murray, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Erect, many-branched perennial shrub to 100 cm with branches covered in soft, downy hairs. Leaves are trifoliate, upper surface hairy and lower side a lighter green than the upper surface. Leaflet is lance-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, to 8 mm long and 3 mm wide, the central leaflet slightly longer and wider than the others. Flowers singularly or in groups of 3 in leaf axils or on the ends of the branches, with pink sometimes white petals. Flowering between August and October. Fruits are pale brown, two to four segmented capsule. Seeds are black ovoid. 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 | 1,400 (1.76 g) | 200+ | 12-Dec-2006 | TST130 Kangaroo Island | |||
| BGA | 300 (0.74 g) | 21-Dec-2006 | PJA150 Southern Lofty | 20-Jul-2009 | 70% | -18°C | |
| BGA | 233 (0.507 g) | 30 | 28-Feb-2022 | JRG855 Kangaroo Island | 7-Jul-2022 | 90% | -18°C |
| BGA | 270 (0.543 g) | 28-Feb-2022 | MJH79 Kangaroo Island | 7-Jul-2022 | 95% | -18°C |
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.