Botanical name |
Pittosporum viridiflorum |
Other names |
Cheesewood; kasuur (Afrikaans); umkhwenkwe (Xhosa); umfusamvu (Zulu) |
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Pittosporaceae |
Dimensions |
Well-shaped, single-stemmed and erect tree often up to 7m, occasionally in forests up to 15m |
Description of stem |
The bark is smooth and grey in younger trees, becoming rough, darker and sometimes fluted in mature specimens, with distinctive horizontal rings of lenticels |
Description of leaves |
Simple leaves arranged in spiralling clusters at twig ends; obovate and wavy, glossy green above, characteristic network of veining more conspicuous on the lower surface; margin entire, apex varying, often attenuate |
Description of flowers |
Dense terminal clusters of small creamish yellow flowers with five attractively recurving petals |
Description of seed/fruit |
Yellow to light brown dehiscent capsules, 6cm in diameter, containing four shiny red seeds in winter |
Description of roots |
Not aggressive, suitable for smaller gardens |
Variation |
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Propagation and cultivation |
Grows readily from seed or cuttings in well-drained soil; water regularly |
Tolerances |
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Uses |
Popular and succesfully used as a garden tree; the bark is said to possess medicinal properties, among other things for the treatment of stomach disorders; also used in the treatment of cattle |
Ecological rarity |
Common, may even be invasive in some habitats |
Pests and diseases |
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Other |
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Location |
Wide-ranging forest and bushveld conditions |
Distribution |
Western and Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, Free State, Gauteng, North West, Mpumalana and Limpopo |
Country |
South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Madagascar, Ethiopia, India |