''Pittosporum angustifolium'', commonly known as butterbush, weeping pittosporum, berrigan, native willow, native apricot, western pittosporum, apricot tree, bitter bush, cattle bush or poison berry tree, is a weeping shrub or tree that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to mostly inland, continental Australia. It has oblong, linear or narrowly elliptic leaves, fragrant yellow to cream-coloured flowers arranged in leaf axils or on the ends of branches, and oval to spherical, yellowish capsules with dark or orange-red seeds.

Description

''Pittosporum angustifolium'' weeping shrub or tree up to about high. It has thick fissured, fibrous or flaky bark. Its leaves are arranged alternately, oblong, linear or narrowly elliptic, curved, long and wide on a petiole long. The flowers are

dioecious Dioecy ( ; ; adj. dioecious, ) is a characteristic of certain species that have distinct unisexual individuals, each producing either male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproduction is ...

, arranged singly or in small groups in leaf axils, or in clusters on the ends of branches, each flower on a

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

long. Male flowers are in groups of four, with a small

pistil Gynoecium (; ; : gynoecia) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl (botany), whorl of a flower; it consists ...

and

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s long. Female flowers have an

ovary The ovary () is a gonad in the female reproductive system that produces ova; when released, an ovum travels through the fallopian tube/ oviduct into the uterus. There is an ovary on the left and the right side of the body. The ovaries are end ...

about long with a short

style Style, or styles may refer to: Film and television * ''Style'' (2001 film), a Hindi film starring Sharman Joshi, Riya Sen, Sahil Khan and Shilpi Mudgal * ''Style'' (2002 film), a Tamil drama film * ''Style'' (2004 film), a Burmese film * '' ...

. Flowering mostly occurs from winter to spring, and the fruit is an oval to spherical, yellowish capsule in diameter containing sticky, reddish-brown seeds long.

Taxonomy

''Pittosporum angustifolium'' was first described in 1832 in the

Loddiges The Loddiges family (not uncommonly mis-spelt ''Loddige'') managed one of the most notable of the eighteenth and nineteenth century plant nurseries that traded in and introduced exotic plants, trees, shrubs, ferns, palms and orchids into European ...

' ''The Botanical Cabinet'', published by

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

and George Loddiges.

George Bentham George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...

combined this species and '' P. ligustrifolium'' with '' P. phillyreoides''; however, all three were split in the 2000 revision; the true ''P. phillyreoides'' is only found in a narrow coastal strip of northwestern Australia. The weeping foliage of ''P. angustifolium'' distinguishes it from the other two taxa.

Distribution and habitat

''Pittosporum angustifolium'' is a widespread plant found in all states of Australia apart from

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

and in the Northern Territory, mostly in inland Australia. It is found in mallee communities, on

alluvial Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...

flats and ridges, as well as in dry woodland and on

loam Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–si ...

y, clay or sandy soils, however it is never common. Pittosporum angustifolium IMG 20190607 084420

It is drought- and frost-resistant. It can survive in areas with rainfall as low as per year. A resilient desert species, individuals may live for over a hundred years.

Uses

''Pittosporum angustifolium'' is used as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

in the garden, prized for its weeping habit and orange fruit.

Traditional/cultural use

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...

used parts of the plant in various ways as

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

. Uses varied from place to place and people to people. Some ate or chewed the gum that oozed from branches, while others ground seeds into flour for food. Most commonly, the leaves, seed or wood were steeped in hot water and made into a poultice or a tea for medicinal uses, such as to relieve digestive issues, internal pain and cramping, combat chronic fatigue, induce lactation, treat colds, muscle sprains,

eczema Dermatitis is a term used for different types of skin inflammation, typically characterized by itchiness, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become thickened ...

and other sources of

itching An itch (also known as pruritus) is a sensation that causes a strong desire or reflex to scratch. Itches have resisted many attempts to be classified as any one type of sensory experience. Itches have many similarities to pain, and while both ...

. Despite being known as "native apricot", the bitter fruit is rarely considered a food source.

Medical/therapeutic use

Ongoing scientific research is being carried out internationally, and has begun to identify medically relevant biochemistry present in ''P. angustifolium,'' including anti microbial and

antibacterial An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention ...

antioxidant Antioxidants are Chemical compound, compounds that inhibit Redox, oxidation, a chemical reaction that can produce Radical (chemistry), free radicals. Autoxidation leads to degradation of organic compounds, including living matter. Antioxidants ...

antifungal An antifungal medication, also known as an antimycotic medication, is a pharmaceutical fungicide or fungistatic used to treat and prevent mycosis such as athlete's foot, ringworm, candidiasis (thrush), serious systemic infections such as ...

, anti inflammatory, and galactogogue compounds. The findings suggest biochemical compounds from this plant have low toxicity when consumed by humans, and could be used to inhibit microbial and fungal growth, bring on lactation, induce

apoptosis Apoptosis (from ) is a form of programmed cell death that occurs in multicellular organisms and in some eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms such as yeast. Biochemistry, Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes (Morphology (biol ...

in cancer cells, protect cells against free radicals and oxidisation, and increase efficacy of commonly prescribed antibiotics; findings are consistent with traditional knowledge and uses.

Central Queensland University Central Queensland University (branded as CQUniversity) is an Australian public university based in central Queensland. CQUniversity is the only Australian university with a campus presence in every mainland state. Its main campus is at Norman ...

conducted a long-term project to examine the potential medicinal uses of native Australian plants, in consultation with Ghungalu elder Uncle Steve Kemp, who has been providing plant materials, including ''P. angustifolium'', for the project.

Cytotoxic Cytotoxicity is the quality of being toxic to cells. Examples of toxic agents are toxic metals, toxic chemicals, microbe neurotoxins, radiation particles and even specific neurotransmitters when the system is out of balance. Also some types of dr ...

and phenolic compounds have been identified, providing a strong case for the therapeutic benefits and potential cancer fighting properties of the plant. Some cytotoxic properties have also been identified in other studies.

References

External links

''Pittosporum angustifolium'': Occurrence data from the Australasian Virtual Herbarium
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7199137 Apiales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Victoria (state) Flora of South Australia Flora of the Northern Territory Flora of Western Australia angustifolium Ornamental trees Trees of Australia Drought-tolerant trees Plants described in 1832