genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
in the family
Rutaceae
The Rutaceae () is a family (biology), family, commonly known as the rueRUTACEAE in Bo ...
, native to Australia. Plants in the genus ''Cyanothamnus'' are erect or spreading shrubs usually with pinnate leaves (simple leaves in '' C. anemonifolius'' and '' C. nanus'') arranged in opposite pairs, the leaves or leaflets flat. The flowers are arranged singly or in
cymes
In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a main axis ( ped ...
with minute
bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale.
Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also lo ...
s. The petals are usually pink or white, sometimes blue or yellowish-green.
Taxonomy
The genus was first described in 1839 by
John Lindley
John Lindley Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidology, orchidologist.
Early years
Born in Old Catton, Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four c ...
in ''
A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony
"A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony", also known by its standard botanical abbreviation ''Sketch Veg. Swan R.'', is an 1839 article by John Lindley on the flora of the Swan River Colony. Nearly 300 new species were published in it ...
''. Most of the species now placed in the genus were first described in the genus ''
Boronia
''Boronia'' is a genus of about 160 species of flowering plants in the citrus family Rutaceae. Most are endemic to Australia with a few species in New Caledonia, which were previously placed in the genus ''Boronella''. They occur in all Australi ...
'', with which ''Cyanothamnus'' was synonymized. A
molecular phylogenetic
Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...
study in 2020 showed that as then
circumscribed In geometry, a circumscribed circle for a set of points is a circle passing through each of them. Such a circle is said to ''circumscribe'' the points or a polygon formed from them; such a polygon is said to be ''inscribed'' in the circle.
* Circum ...
''Boronia'' was
polyphyletic
A polyphyletic group is an assemblage that includes organisms with mixed evolutionary origin but does not include their most recent common ancestor. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as Homoplasy, homoplasies ...
, and Lindley's genus was revived. A 2021 classification of the family Rutaceae places ''Cyanothamnus'' in the subfamily
Zanthoxyloideae
''Zanthoxyloideae'' is a subfamily of the family Rutaceae. Its most notable member is probably Sichuan pepper.
Genera
The division of the subfamily into genera varied, . Genera accepted in a 2021 classification of Rutaceae into subfamilies were: ...
.
Species
,
Plants of the World Online
Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
History
Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...
accepted the following species:
*''
Cyanothamnus acanthocladus
''Cyanothamnus acanthocladus'' is a plant in the citrus family, Rutaceae and is endemic to a small area in the south-west of Western Australia. It is a low, prickly shrub with small leaves and white, four-petalled flowers.
Description
''Cyanotha ...
'' (Paul G.Wilson) Duretto & Heslewood (W.A.)
*''
Cyanothamnus anemonifolius
''Cyanothamnus anemonifolius'', commonly known as narrow-leaved boronia or sticky boronia, is a flowering plant that is Endemism, endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a shrub with mostly Pinnation, pinnate leaves, with white to pale pink fou ...
Cyanothamnus baeckeaceus
''Cyanothamnus baeckeaceus'' is a plant in the citrus family, Rutaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a slender or straggling shrub with simple or trifoliate leaves and pink and white four-petalled flowers. It is endemic to the south- ...
Cyanothamnus bussellianus
''Cyanothamnus'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae, native to Australia. Plants in the genus ''Cyanothamnus'' are erect or spreading shrubs usually with pinnate leaves (simple leaves in ''Cyanothamnus anemonifolius, C. anemonif ...
'' (F.Muell.) Duretto & Heslewood (W.A.)
*''
Cyanothamnus coerulescens
''Cyanothamnus coerulescens'', commonly known as blue boronia, is a plant in the citrus family, Rutaceae and is endemic to southern Australia. It is a small, spindly shrub with glandular stems, small, more or less cylindrical leaves and blue to p ...
Cyanothamnus defoliatus
''Cyanothamnus defoliatus'' is a plant in the citrus family, Rutaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a straggly shrub with simple, thread-like leaves and white to pink, four-petalled flowers that are pale blue on the ...
'' (F.Muell.) Duretto & Heslewood (W.A.)
*''
Cyanothamnus fabianoides
''Cyanothamnus fabianoides'' is a plant in the citrus Family (biology), family, Rutaceae and is Endemism, endemic to the Southwest Australia, south-west of Western Australia. It is a compact shrub with many branches, Leaf#Divisions of the lamina ...
Cyanothamnus inflexus
''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-petalle ...
Cyanothamnus nanus
''Cyanothamnus nanus'', commonly known as the dwarf boronia or small boronia is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a prostrate or low spreading shrub with simple or three-part leaves and white or pale ...
Cyanothamnus penicillatus
''Cyanothamnus penicillatus'' is a plant in the citrus family, Rutaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a low, spreading shrub with pinnate leaves and white flowers with four petals and eight stamens.
Description
''C ...
Cyanothamnus quadrangulus
''Cyanothamnus quadrangulus'', commonly known as narrow-leaved boronia, is a plant in the citrus family, Rutaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is an erect shrub with four-angled branches, bipinnate leaves and white, sometimes pale pink ...
Cyanothamnus ramosus
''Cyanothamnus ramosus'' is a species of plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is an erect, mostly glabrous shrub with pinnate leaves with up to seven leaflets, and white, four-petalled flowe ...
Cyanothamnus westringioides
''Cyanothamnus westringioides'' is a species of erect shrub that is endemic to a small area in the southwest of Western Australia. It has simple, narrow, sessile leaves and pale pink flowers arranged singly in leaf axils.
Description
''Cyanotham ...
'' (Paul G.Wilson) Duretto & Heslewood (W.A.)
*''
Cyanothamnus yarrowmerensis
''Cyanothamnus yarrowmerensis'' is a species of erect, woody shrub that is endemic to Queensland. It has pinnate or bipinnate leaves and groups of up to seven flowers with white petals in leaf axils.
Description
''Cyanothamnus yarrowmerensis'' i ...