Plantae > Tracheophyta > Magnoliopsida > Apiales > Pittosporaceae > Pittosporum > Pittosporum crassifolium

Pittosporum crassifolium (stiffleaf cheesewood)

Synonyms: Pittosporum crassifolium var. strictum

Wikipedia Abstract

Pittosporum crassifolium, commonly called Karo, is a small tree or shrub native to New Zealand. Karo's original distribution was generally the top half of the North Island, although now it has naturalised throughout New Zealand and overseas in Norfolk Island and Hawaii. P. crassifolium occurs in lowland and coastal forests. Mature trees grow to about 5 metres (16 ft) in height. Other common names include stiffleaf cheesewood, and in Māori, kaikaro and kīhihi.
View Wikipedia Record: Pittosporum crassifolium

Attributes

Allergen Potential [1]  Medium
Flower Type [2]  Monoecious
Hazards [2]  This plant contains saponins; Saponins are found in many foods, such as some beans, and although they are fairly toxic to people they are poorly absorbed by the body and most pass straight through without any problem. They are also broken down if the food is thoroughly cooked for a long time. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish;
Leaf Type [2]  Evergreen
Lifespan [3]  Perennial
Scent [2]  The flowers are sweetly scented, though they are not often produced in this country; The scent is strongest in the evening;
Structure [2]  Shrub
Usage [2]  A dark blue dye is obtained from the seeds; The plant is a potential source of saponins. Saponins can be used to as a soap and, because of their bitter taste, they also have potential as a bird deterrent by spraying them over the plants. The bitterness can be easily removed by washing (or by the next rainfall!). Very tolerant of pruning and maritime exposure, this plant can be grown as a protective hedge by the coast in mild maritime areas; The plant has an extensive root system and can be used for binding sandy soils, dunes etc; Wood - very tough. Used for inlay;
Height [2]  16.4 feet (5 m)
Width [2]  9.84 feet (3 m)
View Plants For A Future Record : Pittosporum crassifolium

Protected Areas

Name IUCN Category Area acres Location Species Website Climate Land Use
Isles of Scilly Complex 66350 England, United Kingdom    

Predators

External References

USDA Plant Profile

NatureServe Explorer

Citations

Attributes / relations provided by
♦ 1Derived from Allergy-Free Gardening OPALS™, Thomas Leo Ogren (2000)
♦ 2Plants For A Future licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
♦ 3USDA Plants Database, U. S. Department of Agriculture
♦ 4HONEYEATERS AND THE NEW ZEALAND FOREST FLORA: THE UTILISATION AND PROFITABILITY OF SMALL FLOWERS, Isabel Castro and Alastair W. Robertson, New Zealand Journal of Ecology (1997) 21(2): 169-179
♦ 5Ben-Dov, Y., Miller, D.R. & Gibson, G.A.P. ScaleNet 4 November 2009
♦ 6del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
♦ 7New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Plant-SyNZ™ database
♦ 8THE DIET OF THE NORTH ISLAND KAKA (NESTOR MERIDIONALIS SEPTENTRIONALIS) ON KAPITI ISLAND, Ron J. Moorhouse, New Zealand Journal of Ecology (1997) 21(2): 141-152
♦ 9Biological Records Centre Database of Insects and their Food Plants
♦ 10The relative importance of birds and insects as pollinators of the New Zealand flora, Sandra H. Anderson, New Zealand Journal of Ecology (2003) 27(2): 83-94
Abstract provided by DBpedia licensed under a Creative Commons License
Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0