Species o f Boronia are amongst the most abundant plants in many parts o f Australia and Tasmania; they are
strong-smelling and almost invariably pink-flowered. A ll are extremely variable in habit and foUage, so that it is
nearly impossible to limit the species. Fully sixty are known, aud many more described; but au extensive series of
specimens o f any one species shows so many varieties, ih a t it is obviously impossible to determine these from single
individuals. Some of the pinnate-leaved species have occasionally trifoliolate and even simple leaves, what is the
petiole in the one case being expanded into a blade in the other. These p etioles b eing originally developed as leaves,
and being identical in stnicture with the leaflets, which surmount them on the other parts o f the plant, it becomes
impossible to say what is a leaf and what not, either by inspection or stu d y ; the phenomenon not being at all analogous
to the phyllodia o f the Acacias. I must confess myself quite unable to detect absolute characters between
the various Tasmanian pinnate-leaved species, i l r . Gmm depends much on the smell, habitat, habit, etc., and
I have followed his determinations implicitly, except with regard to B . nana, which I have no hesitation in refen-ing
to B . hysaopifolia.— Calyx quadrifld. PetaU four, imbricate. Stamens eight, alternate ones smaller; filaments
glabrous or pdose. Ovaries four-celled, with one style and two superimposed ovules in each cell. Fruit of one to
four one- rarely two-seeded cocci. (Named in honour of F. Borone, who attended Dr. Sibtliorpe in his botanical
travels in the Levant, etc.)
§ 1. Folia simplicia {in B. hyssopifolla interdum trifoliolata).
1 . Boronia rhomboidea (H o ok . I c . P la n t, t . 7 2 2 ) ; glaberrima, foliis rhombeo-obovatis sessilibus
intege rr im is crasse coriaceis, floribus sessibbns solitarus, filamentis glandulosis. {Gnnn, 1 9 4 6 .)
H a b . N o r th -w e st E iv e r (near H obar ton), and base o f W estern Mountains, Gunn.— ( f \ . N o v .)
A small, woody, glabrous shrub.— Branches terete, divaricating. Leaves inch long, broadly obovate-
rhomboid, sessile, quite entire, coriaceous, veinless, dotted on both surfaces, reddish at the petioles. Flowers large
for the size o f the plant, sobtary, sessile, pink, 4 inch diameter. Sepah ovate, one-third as long as the coriaceous
glabrous petals. Filaments fleshy, studded with pedieelled glands, curved at the apex. Anthers oblong, didymous.
Ovary deeply four-lobed, on a broad disc, suddenly contracted into the erect sty le ; stiyma minute, four-lobed.— The
style very easily spbts longitudinally ia to four pieces, corresponding to the carpels, and then each piece falls away,
leaving a sear at the apex of each carpel.
2 . Boronia pilonema (Lab. N o v . H o ll. i. 9 8 . t . 1 2 6 ) ; prostrata, ramuHs erectis ascendentibnsve,
fob is bneari-oblongis lanceolatisve integerrimis acutis, floribus breve p edicellatis soHtarus paucisve, filamentis
glabris, seminibus parvis ovoideis atris n itid is pu n c tu la tis.— B C . P r o d r . i. 7 2 2 . {Gnnn, 7 9 1 .)
H a b . Common in heathy places ou sandy soil, th roughout th e Island, L a h illa r d ih e , etc.— (FI. aU
summer.) (??. v .)
D i s t b i b . South-eastern Austraba.
A small glabrous speeies, entirely similar to the following, but distinguished by the glahrous filaments and
sh ining black seeds.— S tem diffuse, ascending, or erect from the root, 3 -8 inches long. Leaves simple, linear-lanceolate,
acuminate, entire, 4 - 4 inch long, coriaceous, nerveless. Flowers axillary or terminal, on stout pedicels,
pink. Stamens glahrous, or very slightly hairy. Seeds black, shining, minutely dotted.-—South AustraUan specimens
have more shining, flatter seeds, hardly dotted, and long scattered hairs on the filaments.
3 . Boroaia hyssopifolia (Sieber, P i. E x sic c . 2 9 6 ) ; hum ilis, ramis prostratis v . e radice erectis
gracibbus, fobis simplicibus bneari-lanceolatis acuminatis, floribus terminalibus lateralibusve breviter pedicellatis,
staminibus pilosis, seminibus ob lon g is opacis.— E o o k . Journ. B o t. 2 5 5 . B . tetrathecoides, Eook.
Comp. B o t. M a y . i. 2 7 7 ; an Persoon ? {G m m , 4 5 8 .)
V a r ./S ; fobis trifobolatis.— B . nana, D u o A /c . i. 2 7 0 ; Eo o k . Jonrn. B o t. {Gnnn, 8^4 .)
H a b . Abundant th roughout th e Colony, in clay soil. Yar. Rocky Cape, Gunn.— (El. throughout
th e snmmer.) (y. v.)
Dis t b ib . N ew South Wale s and South-eastern Australia.
So closely resembling the last, as to require no detailed description. The seeds are very large, oblong, and
covered with a granulated opaque testa, gUstening with minute copper-coloured points when diy. I cannot distinguish
this from the preceding without the seeds, for the hairs on the filaments afford a very inconstant character.
Dr. MiiUer has sent, from South-eastern AustraUa, what appears lo be this species (under the name o f B . tetra-
Ihecoides), with the leaves simple below, aud trifoholate above ; whilst a few intemediate ones are lobed at tbe apes.
As it is not in fmit I cannot identify it with the Tasmanian plant, or I should adopt the name B. tetrathecoides for
the present. Also Dr. MiiUer sends the ordinary state o f the plant, under the name o f B . tetrathecoides, var. simpUci-
fo lia ; and another with broad leaflets, and densely pubescent leaves and branches, as var. pubescens ; no two species
can well be more dissimUav than these varieties are, and I have no reason to doubt Dr. MiiUer’s correctness ; it only
shows how much more good is to be done by studying the variations o f these plants, than hy describing different
fonns as new species. My var. ß, again, only differs in having most o f the leaves trifoliolate, a few o f the lower being
simple. I have not seen the seeds of it, hut Gunn says of them, that they differ from those o f aU the other species
but B . hyssopifolia, which lie rightly describes as opaque.
§ 2 . Folia trifoliolata v .pin nata.
4 . Boronia pilo sa (Lab. N o v . H ob . i. 9 7 . 1 . 1 2 4 ) ; erecta, ramis ramulisque pube sc entibus v . pilosis
rarius glabratis, foliis brevibus impari-pinnatis, foliolis 2 -5 - ju g is confertis linearibus acumiuatis basi
angustatis planis coriaceis canaliculatis, pedunculis brevibus.— B . tetrandra, Eo o k . Journ. B o t., e t Comp.
B o t. M a y . I. c. non L a b illa rd ie re .
Var. a ; ramulis albo-pubescentibus, petiolo communi foliolis brevioribus, foliolis an gu ste lanceolatis,
{Gunn, 1 0 3 9 , 1 0 3 9 ? )
Var. ß .ß o n b u n d a ; pubescenti-pilosa v. glabrata, foliolis u t in a sed sæpe latioribus. {Gunn, 6 6 5 .)
Y ù x . y . l a r id f o l ia ; glabrata v. puberula, petiolo communi abbreviato, fo lio lis fasciculatis, floribus
minoribus. {Gunn, 7 9 0 .)
Hab. Abundant th roughout the Colony. Var. a. Recherche Bay, P o r t Arthur, etc. Var. ß . H obar ton,
etc. Var. 7 . Circular Head, W oolnorth, e tc .— (EL Oct. to Jan.) (y. v.)
Dis t b ib . N ew South Wale s and S outh-eastern Australia.
I have adopted Mi-. Gunn’s limitations of the varieties o f this species. I cannot define them better than as
above. None of them belong to B. tetrandra of LabUlariliere, as was foi-merly supposed, which inhabits King
George’s Sound, and has never been foimd in Tasmania.— A smaU shrub, 1 -3 feet high, with erect slender branches,
which are more or less pilose, Leaves pinnate; common petiole very short, or sometimes 4 inch long; leaflets two
to four pair, Unear-lanceolate, nan-owed at both ends, straight or sUghtly curved, pilose or glabrous, 4 - 4 inch long,
4 inch broad, rarely broader ; when the petioles ai-e very much abbreviated, as in var. 7 , the leaflets appear fascicled.
Floivers abundant or few, shortly pediceUed, veiy vm-iable in size, 4 to nearly 4 inch across the petals. Sepals ovate,
subidate or lanceolate, puberulous or glabrous. Stamens eight ; filaments ciliated.
5 . Boronia variabilis (H o ok . Comp. B o t. Mag. i. 2 7 7 ) ; erecta, glabra v. pubescens, ramis ramuiis-
quc pubescentibus plerumque pustulato-glandulosis, petiolis crassis ter etibus plauisve, foliolis ob longo- v.
obovato-lanccolatis apices versus latioribus interdum obovato-spathulatis apice retusis bi-trifidisve grosse
punctatis planis nervo distincto, floribns breviter v. lon g iu s pedicellatis.— J o um . B o t. ii; 4 1 8 .
Var. a.; foliolis obovatis submembranaceis obtusis retusis 2 -3 -fid isv e . {Gunn, 6 6 6 .)
Var. ß -, foliolis lanceolatis apices versus latioribus acutis mucronatis acuminatisve. {Gunn, 2 1 4 .)
Hab. Nor th ern parts o f th e Island, near the co a st; Woolnorth, Hunter’s and Flinders’ Islan d s in
Bass’ Straits, Gunn.— (EL Oct.)