Darwinia citriodora

Location & distribution maps

Common name:         Lemon-scented Darwinia

Conservation status: Least Concern

• It is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife

Etymology:   

• The genus was named in honour of Erasmus Darwin, grandfather of Charles Darwin by Edward Rudge in 1816

• The specific epithet (citriodora) is derived from the Latin words citrea meaning "lemon"  and odora meaning "smell" or "scent"

Flowers

• The flowers are arranged in groups of four near the ends of the branches, each group surrounded by reddish-green, leaf-like bracts

• Individual flowers are small, tube-shaped and yellow with the petals enclosing the stamens

• The style is about 10 mm long, red to yellow and extends beyond the flower, with its brush-like tip curving towards the centre of the group of flowers

• Flowering occurs between May and December

Fruit:                            

Leaves:         

• The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs along the stems, 6–12 mm long, lance-shaped to oval with a blunt tip and with their edges rolled under

• They are usually a rich green colour but often turn purplish during winter

• The leaves have obvious oil glands on their lower surface and have a pleasant lemon scent when crushed

Stem & branches: 

Roots:         

Habit:        

• A compact shrub which grows to a height and width of 1–1.5 m

Habitat:   

• Lateritic or granitic soils

Distribution:                  

• Near-coastal areas between the Swan River and Cape Riche in the Esperance Plain, Jarrah Forest, Swan Coastal Plain and Warren biogeographic regions 

Additional notes:    

• Taxonomy

  • This species was first formally described in 1837 by Stefan Endlicher who gave it the name Genetyllis citriodora

  • The description was published in Enumeratio plantarum quas in Novae Hollandiæ ora austro-occidentali ad fluvium Cygnorum et in sinu Regis Georgii collegit Carolus Liber Baro de Hügel

  • In 1865, George Bentham changed the name to Darwinia citriodora and published the change in Journal of the Linnean Society, Botany

• Use in horticulture

  • Darwinia citriodora has been available in nurseries for many years and a variety with larger than normal flowers has been produced

  • It is easily propagated from cuttings which are best obtained at the end of summer or early autumn

  • It is valuable as a rootstock for other species, especially those from the genera Verticordia, Chamelaucium and Actinodium as well as for other species of Darwinia

Sources of information:

•  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwinia_citriodora (2024)