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Pittosporum tenuifolium tenuifolium

(Tawhiwhi)

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in English:

Tawhiwhi

Common Names in Maori:

Kaikaro, Kohuhu, Kohukohu, Koihu, Kowhiwhi, Pohiri, Powhiri, Rautawhiri, Tawhiri, Tawhiwhi

Description

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Family Pittosporaceae

Trees or shrubs , evergreen , glabrous or pubescent , occasionally spiny . Leaves alternate, occasionally opposite, estipulate; leaf blade mostly leathery, margin entire, rarely dentate or lobed . Inflorescences umbellate , corymbose , paniculate , or a solitary flower, bracteate and bracteolate . Flowers usually bisexual , sometimes polygamous, actinomorphic , rarely zygomorphic, usually 5-merous (except ovary) . Sepals usually free or slightly connate . Petals free or connate, white, yellow, blue, or red. Stamens opposite sepals; filament filiform ; anther basifixed or dorsifixed , 2-loculed, dehiscing longitudinally or by pores . Ovary superior, of 2 or 3( 5) carpels, usually 1-loculed or incompletely 2 5-loculed; ovules numerous , anatropous ; placentation parietal , axile , or basilar. Style short, simple or 2 5-lobed, persistent or deciduous. Fruit a capsule dehiscing by adaxial suture, or a berry. Seeds numerous; testa thin; endosperm well developed; embryo small.

Nine genera and ca. 250 species: tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, and Pacific Islands, especially Australia; one genus and 46 species (33 endemic) in China.[1]

Genus Pittosporum

Trees , shrubs , or sometimes subshrubs , evergreen , pubescent or glabrous . Leavs alternate, appearing opposite or pseudoverticillate , usually clustered at branchlet apex; leaf blade leathery or sometimes membranous, margin entire, undulate-dentate, or rugose . Inflorescences terminal or axillary , umbellate , corymbose , paniculate , or a solitary flower. Flowers bisexual , rarely polygamous. Sepals 5, free , usually short and small. Petals 5, free or partly connate . Stamens 5; filament glabrous; anther dorsifixed , ± sagittate , longitudinally dehiscent . Ovary superior, usually stipitate , of 2 or 3(-5) carpels, 1-loculed or incompletely 2-5-loculed, pubescent or glabrous; ovules usually numerous , sometimes 1-4; placentas parietal and equal in number to carpels, or basilar owing to reduction of ovules. Style short, simple or 2-5-lobed, usually persistent . Capsule ellipsoid or globose , sometimes compressed , dehiscing by 2-5 valves ; pericarp woody or leathery, usually with horizontal striae adaxially. Seeds usually surrounded by glutinous or greasy material .

About 150 species: Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sikkim, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam; tropical and S Africa (including Madagascar), SW Asia (Yemen), Atlantic Islands (Madeira ), Australia, Indian Ocean Islands (Mascarenes, Seychelles), Pacific Islands; 46 species (33 endemic) in China.[2]

Taxonomy

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Synonyms

Pittosporum tenuifolium Gaertn. • Pittosporum tenuifolium Gaertner.

Notes

An accepted name in the RHS Horticultural Database.

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Pittosporum

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 42 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

P. argentifolium (Hawai'i Poisonberry Tree) · P. bicolor (Cheesewood) · P. confertiflorum (Ho'awa) · P. crassifolium (Karo) · P. eugenioides (Lemonwood) · P. flocculosum (Waianae Range Cheesewood) · P. gayanum (Waialeale Cheesewood) · P. glabrum (Ho'awa) · P. hawaiiense (Hawai'i Cheesewood) · P. hosmeri (Kona Cheesewood) · P. illicioides (Hai Jin Zi) · P. kauaiense (Kauai Cheesewood) · P. monae (Mona Cheesewood) · P. napaliense (Royal Cheesewood) · P. napaulense (Bhutan Pittosporum) · P. obcordatum (Heart-Leaved Kohuhu) · P. pentandrum (Taiwanese Cheesewood) · P. phylliraeoides (Weeping Pittosporum) · P. ralphii (Ralph's Desertwillow) · P. resiniferum (Petroleum Nut) · P. revolutum (Brisbane Laurel) · P. tenuifolium (Tawhiwhi) · P. tenuifolium tenuifolium (Tawhiwhi) · P. tenuifolium 'Brockhill Compact' (Tawhiwhi 'brockhill Compact') · P. tenuifolium 'Emerald Star' (Tawhiwhi 'emerald Star') · P. tenuifolium 'Garnettii' (Frosted Tawhiwhi) · P. tenuifolium 'Golf Ball' (Golf Ball Kohuhu) · P. tenuifolium 'Irene Patterson' (Kohuhu) · P. tenuifolium 'Silver Sheen' (Silver Sheen Kohuhu) · P. tenuifolium 'Tom Thumb' (Kohuhu) · P. terminalioides (Cream Cheesewood) · P. tobira (Australian Laurel) · P. tobira 'Shima' (Cream De Mint" Dwarf Mock Orange) · P. tobira 'Turner's Variegated Dwarf' (Turner's Pitt" Mock Orange) · P. tobira 'Variegata' (Australian Laurel) · P. tobira 'Variegatum' (Variegated Japanese Mock Orange) · P. tobira 'Wheelers Dwarf' (Australian Laurel) · P. undulatum (Australian Cheesewood) · P. undulatum 'Victoria' (Sweet Pittosporum) · P. viridiflorum (Cape Cheesewood) · P. 'Stephens Island' (Pittosporum) · P. 'Trim's Hedger' (Pittosporum 'trim's Hedger')

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Zhi-Yun Zhang & Nicholas J. Turland "Pittosporaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 9 Page 1. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. "Pittosporum". in Flora of China Vol. 9 Page 1. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 7/23/2012