Jump to content

Pittosporum

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pittosporum
Pittosporum heterophyllum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Apiales
Family: Pittosporaceae
Genus: Pittosporum
Banks ex Gaertn.[1]
Diversity
c. 250 species
Synonyms[1]
  • Citriobatus A.Cunn. & Putt.
  • Cylbanida Noronha ex Tul.
  • Glyaspermum Zoll. & Moritzi
  • Ixiosporum F.Muell.
  • Pittosporoides Sol. ex Gaertn.
  • Pseuditea Hassk.
  • Quinsonia Montrouz.
  • Schoutensia Endl.
  • Tobira Adans.

Pittosporum (/pɪˈtɒspərəm/[2] or /ˌpɪtəˈspɔːrəm, -t-/[3][4]) is a genus of about 250 species of flowering plants in the family Pittosporaceae.[1] Plants in the genus Pittosporum are shrubs or trees with leaves arranged alternately along the stems. The flowers are arranged singly or in cymes, with white to yellow petals fused at the base forming a short tube, with stamens that are free from each other. The fruit is a capsule with a single locule that opens to reveal angular seeds.

Description

[edit]

Plants in the genus Pittosporum are shrubs or trees, occasionally spiny, with smooth-edged linear to lance-shaped or egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, on a petiole. The flowers are borne on the ends of branches or in leaf axils, in cymes or clusters with sepals that are free from each other. The petals are linear or lance-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, and partly fused to form a tube. The anthers are shorter than the filaments and open by two longitudinal slits. The fruit is a woody or leathery capsule containing seeds immersed in a sticky fluid.[5][6][7][8]

Taxonomy

[edit]

The genus Pittosporum was first formally described in 1788 by Joseph Gaertner in De Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum from an unpublished description by Joseph Banks.[9][10] The genus name (Pittosporum) means 'pitch seed', referring to the viscid fluid surrounding the seeds.[11]

Distribution

[edit]

Plants in the genus Pittosporum are native to some parts of southern Africa, Madagascar, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Pakistan, India, some parts of China, Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, and some Pacific Islands.[12]

Selected species

[edit]
Pittosporum moluccanum
Fruiting branch of weeping pittosporum (Pittosporum phillyreoides)
Pittosporum moluccanum
Japanese cheesewood (Pittosporum tobira)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Pittosporum Banks ex Gaertn". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  2. ^ "Pittosporum". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
  3. ^ The first pronunciation is that expected for Anglo-Latin; the second is common in nurseries. Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
  4. ^ "Pittosporum". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
  5. ^ Walsh, Neville G.; Albrecht, David E.; Messina, Andre. "Pittosporum". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  6. ^ Makinson, Robert O. "Pittosporum". Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  7. ^ "Pittosporum". Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  8. ^ "Pittosporum". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  9. ^ "Pittosporum". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  10. ^ Gaertner, Joseph (1788). De Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum. Vol. 1. Stuttgart: Typis Academiae Carolinae. p. 286. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  11. ^ George, Alex; Sharr, Francis (2021). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (4th ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 105. ISBN 9780958034180.
  12. ^ "Pittosporum". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 19 December 2024.