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''Pittosporum tenuifolium'' is a small
evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...
tree endemic to
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
– growing up to – commonly known as and black matipo, and by other
Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
names and . Its small, very dark, reddish-purple flowers generally go unnoticed, and are scented only at night. The Latin means "slender-leaved"


Description

''Pittosporum'' translates to tarry – – seed – , a reference to the sticky fluid that encases the seeds and means thin – – leaf – . is a bush or small tree that grows up to around 8–10 metres tall. The
trunk Trunk may refer to: Biology * Trunk (anatomy), synonym for torso * Trunk (botany), a tree's central superstructure, and the stem of woody plants * Trunk of corpus callosum, in neuroanatomy * Elephant trunk, the proboscis of an elephant Comput ...
is slender (30–40 cm diameter) with a
mottle Mottle is a pattern of irregular marks, spots, streaks, blotches or patches of different shades or colours. It is commonly used to describe the surface of plants or the skin of animals. In plants, mottling usually consists of yellowish spots on ...
d dark grey bark color that progressively turns black towards the tips of the branches The leaf coverage is compact in ; the leaves are arranged alternately on the
stem Stem or STEM most commonly refers to: * Plant stem, a structural axis of a vascular plant * Stem group * Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Stem or STEM can also refer to: Language and writing * Word stem, part of a word respon ...
and the
petiole Petiole may refer to: *Petiole (botany), the stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem *Petiole (insect anatomy) In entomology, petiole is the technical term for the narrow waist of some hymenopteran insects, especially ants, bees, and ...
is short. The leaves themselves are usually small – 2–4 cm long by 1–2 cm wide – but can grow up to 7 cm long. The edges are undulated and the leaf shape can range from oval to almost circular. Young leaves are covered in a layer of fine hairs that gets shed as the leaves grow. Adult leaves have a smooth, glossy texture. The colouration of the foliage is a silvery green, darker on the upper side and lighter underneath. The
midrib A primary vein, also known as the midrib, is the main vascular structure running through the center of a leaf. The primary vein is crucial for the leaf’s efficiency in photosynthesis and overall health, as it ensures the proper flow of material ...
of the leaf and its smaller lateral veins are whiteish and quite visible on the upper side of the leaf. has small – around 1 cm in diameter – dark coloured flowers. The colour ranges from dark-red to dark-purple turning almost black as the flowers age. On rare occasions, the colour can be red or yellow. The flowers develop from
lateral buds The axillary bud (or lateral bud) is an embryonic or organogenic shoot located in the axil of a leaf. Each bud has the potential to form shoots, and may be specialized in producing either vegetative shoots (stems and branches) or reproductive ...
, either individually or in clumps, and can be male or
bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...
. The flowers are filled with nectar and exude a honey scented fragrance in the evenings with the scent being more obvious in slightly damp conditions. This attracts moths and night flying insects, and it is believed these insects help with pollination. Fertilised flowers develop into small – around 1.2 cm in diameter – globe shaped fruits. The fruit is covered in a small layer of hairs during early maturation that is progressively discarded as the capsule ripens. In the ripening process the capsule shrinks, hardens up and turns almost black, splitting into two or three segments when ripened. Inside are black seeds, encased in a very sticky substance. The stickiness of the seeds is likely to help with seed dispersal.


Names

Common names include: *Matipo *Black matipo *Rautawhiri Rautāwhiri *Kairaro *Kihihi *Kowhiwhi Kōwhiwhi *Kohukohu *Koihu *Māpauriki *Pōhiri *Pōwhiri *Tāwhiri *Tawiri *Tawhiwhi *Silverleaf *Turpentine-tree *Black birch


Distribution


Natural global range

is endemic to New Zealand.


New Zealand range

is well spread all over New Zealand, being absent only to the west of the
Southern Alps The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) are a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand, New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The n ...
and
Stewart Island Stewart Island (, ' glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura, formerly New Leinster) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island with a la ...
.


Habitat preferences

is found growing wild in coastal and lower mountain forest areas up to an altitude of 900 m. grows particularly quickly at forest edges located at the bottom of high terraces, and can also be found growing in
riverbeds A streambed or stream bed is the bottom of a stream or river and is confined within a channel or the banks of the waterway. Usually, the bed does not contain terrestrial (land) vegetation and instead supports different types of aquatic vegeta ...
. It grows readily in forested areas that have been disturbed or in reverting farmland, playing an important role in
ecological succession Ecological succession is the process of how species compositions change in an Community (ecology), ecological community over time. The two main categories of ecological succession are primary succession and secondary succession. Primary successi ...
.


Life cycle/Phenology

Most of the plants in the genus ''Pittosporum'' are easily propagated from seed, but germination may be slow. In horticultural production, the sticky substance coating the seeds is removed before sowing, as it acts as a germination inhibitor. The seeds are treated to simulate natural conditions for six weeks in order to improve germination rates. is a relatively fast growing plant growing from 0.5 metres to 3 metres within five years. The root system is shallow and spread out. These characteristics make it ideal – when used in conjunction with another plants – for use in stream stabilisation and
erosion control Erosion control is the practice of preventing or controlling wind or water erosion in agriculture, land development, coast, coastal areas, Bank (geography), river banks and construction. Effective erosion controls handle surface runoff and are ...
. Flowering happens in late spring, from October to November, and the maturation of the fruit happens between mid-summer and autumn, from January to March. The seedlings of are unusual, as in some cases they have three or four seed leaves instead of the usual two.


Diet and foraging

is a hardy plant that can cope with poor conditions – poor soils, droughts and windy environments. It is, however, a light-demanding plant and prefers soils with good drainage in humid climates. Planting it in damp conditions can cause winter leaf drop, which likely explains why is not found growing on the West Coast of New Zealand. In its role in
ecological succession Ecological succession is the process of how species compositions change in an Community (ecology), ecological community over time. The two main categories of ecological succession are primary succession and secondary succession. Primary successi ...
, is often found at an earlier stage than its relative lemonwood (another endemic ''Pittosporum''), and usually inhabits less fertile soils.


Predators, Parasites, and Diseases


Insects

There are over 50 insect species listed in the Plant-SyNZ database that either feed on or
parasitise Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The ent ...
, including wasps, sucking bugs, flies,
moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...
s, butterflies,
thrips Thrips (Order (biology) , order Thysanoptera) are minute (mostly long or less), slender insects with fringed wings and unique asymmetrical mouthparts. Entomologists have species description , described approximately 7,700 species. They fly on ...
,
mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods) of two large orders, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari. However, most recent genetic analyses do not recover the two as eac ...
s and
beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...
s. There are also more than a dozen beetles that feed on the dead plant material. Below are some species of interest, organised by feeding habits: Pittosporum flower weevil ('' Aneuma rubricale''), a native insect, lays its eggs on the flower of ; interestingly, only is chosen for this, even if the weevil feeds on other types of ''Pittosporum''. As soon as the weevil's larvae hatch, they start feeding on the
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 and
ovaries 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 endocr ...
of the flowers, switching to the leaves once they reach adulthood. An arrival from Australia, pittosporum shield bug (''Monteithiella humeralis'') as well as the endemic pittosporum
psyllid Psyllidae, the jumping plant lice or psyllids, are a family of small plant-feeding insects that tend to be very host-specific, i.e. each plant-louse species only feeds on one plant species (monophagous) or feeds on a few closely related plants ( ...
''Trioza vitreoradiata'' feed only on ''Pittosporum'' species, by attaching themselves to a suitable part of the plant and feeding on its
sap Sap is a fluid transported in the xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a s ...
. The
psyllid Psyllidae, the jumping plant lice or psyllids, are a family of small plant-feeding insects that tend to be very host-specific, i.e. each plant-louse species only feeds on one plant species (monophagous) or feeds on a few closely related plants ( ...
leaves a trail of characteristic "beads" behind. Cottony cushion scale (''
Icerya purchasi ''Icerya purchasi'' (common name: cottony cushion scale) is a scale insect that feeds on more than 80 families of woody plants, most notably on ''Citrus'' and ''Pittosporum''. Originally described in 1878 from specimens collected in New Zealand a ...
''), an Australian bug, soft wax scale ('' Ceroplastes destructor''), an import from overseas and the Australian green shield bug ('' Glaucias amyoti''), native to New Zealand despite its name also parasitise the ''Pittosporum'' species, but have a more varied range of hosts. All attach themselves to a suitable part of the plant and feed on its sap. New Zealand flower thrips ('' Thrips obscuratus'') feeds on leaves, flowers and young fruit of , by piercing plant cells and sucking their contents.


Fungi

''
Pythium irregulare ''Pythium irregulare'' is a soil borne oomycete plant pathogen. Oomycetes, also known as "water molds", are fungal-like protists. They are fungal-like because of their similar life cycles, but differ in that the resting stage is diploid, they hav ...
'' has been recorded as a
pathogen In biology, a pathogen (, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of"), in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a Germ theory of d ...
of , causing foliar
blight Blight is a specific symptom affecting plants in response to infection by a pathogenic organism. Description Blight is a rapid and complete chlorosis, browning, then death of plant tissues such as leaves, branches, twigs, or floral organs. A ...
, rot, and eventually death. A recently discovered pathogen of that caused swelling of twigs, the fungus '' Elsinoe takoropuku'', turned out to be a newly discovered species of fungi. The fungus was, so far, only found in association with .


Uses


Garden plant

is a popular garden plant in New Zealand and overseas, often used a hedge or as visual backdrop. It is sometimes grown under the cultivar name 'Nigricans', so called because of its black stems. In horticulture it is valued for its coloured foliage (cultivated variations include purple, "silver" and variegated leaves), and for its tolerance of some horticulturally difficult growing conditions, including dry soils and shade (although in northwest Europe, cold and exposed situations do not suit it). Several
hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two diff ...
s and
cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...
s have been developed and five varieties won the
Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...
's
Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...
due to their ability to cope in the growing conditions of the United Kingdom: *'Arundel Green' *'Garnettii' *'Irene Paterson' *'Silver Queen' *'Tom Thumb' *'Warnham Gold'


Host of threatened wood rose

has the potential to be used as the host of the threatened root parasite plant wood rose (''
Dactylanthus taylorii ''Dactylanthus taylorii'', commonly known in English as wood rose and in Māori language, Māori as ("flower of the Rarohenga, underworld"), is a fully parasitic flowering plant, the only one Endemism, endemic to New Zealand. The host (biology ...
''). Wood rose was recently successfully translocated and sown in the wild from seed, showing the largest success rate when planted in association with kōhūhū.


Use by Māori

There are several recorded uses of by
Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
. The resin and oils extracted from the leaves have been used for their scent and often mixed with ingredients sourced from other native trees in order to produce an oil of variable composition. The resin is obtained by making cuts in the bark of the tree and the leaves crushed and mixed with other oils. The oil is used to scent little pouches or a dead bird skin, often worn around the neck. The oil is also used to scent houses and mats of people of high rank. In addition, has been used for medicinal purposes by Māori. The resin has been mixed with other gums and chewed as a cure for bad breath and sores in the mouth. Parts of the plants have been used as topical treatment for relief of the symptoms of skin diseases. Crushed leaves also have been used as a
poultice A poultice or cataplasm, also called a fomentation, is a soft moist mass, often heated and medicated, that is applied to the skin to reduce inflammation, soothe pain, promote healing, or otherwise treat wounds or ailments. Soft materials like cer ...
for
ulcers An ulcer is a discontinuity or break in a bodily membrane that impedes normal function of the affected organ. According to Robbins's pathology, "ulcer is the breach of the continuity of skin, epithelium or mucous membrane caused by sloughing ...
. The crushed bark has been soaked in water and the resulting mixture used to treat breast or chest ailments, and the remaining liquid taken orally. It has been used, together with
flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...
root, to make a brew used to treat fever, bleeding and
bruising A bruise, also known as a contusion, is a type of hematoma of tissue, the most common cause being capillaries damaged by trauma, causing localized bleeding that extravasates into the surrounding interstitial tissues. Most bruises occur clo ...
. Validating its traditional uses as a medicine, a 2010 study indicated that does indeed possess some
antimicrobial An antimicrobial is an agent that kills microorganisms (microbicide) or stops their growth (bacteriostatic agent). Antimicrobial medicines can be grouped according to the microorganisms they are used to treat. For example, antibiotics are used aga ...
properties. The branches of have been used in Māori life ceremonies, such as
baptism Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...
s, and for welcoming visitors to a
marae A ' (in Māori language, New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian language, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan language, Tongan), ' (in Marquesan language, Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan language, Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves reli ...
. Two of its common names, ("to wave to") and ("to wave a leaf") reflect this.


References


External links


Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants Profile
{{Taxonbar, from=Q160343 tenuifolium Trees of New Zealand Endemic flora of New Zealand