Pittosporum crassifolium Banks & Sol. ex A. Cunn., Pittosporaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: karo, stiff-leaf cheesewood, stiffleaf cheesewood

Maori (NZ): karo

Habit:  shrub/tree

Description:  "Shrub or tree up to 9 m. tall, bark dark brown; branches erect to ascending, sometimes almost fastigiate; branchlets, leaves below, petioles and peduncles densely clad in white to buff subappressed tomentum (sometimes ferruginous in aged herbarium specimens). Leaves alt., very coriac., lamina 5-7-(10) x 2-2.5 cm., on stout petioles up to 2 cm. long, obovate-cuneate to obovate-elliptic to narrow-obovate, margins revolute. Flowers functionally unisexual, in terminal umbels of 5-10 ♂ or 1-2 ♀. Sepals subulate to oblong-lanceolate, tapering, tomentose, c. 6 mm. long, petals narrow-oblong, c. 1 cm. long, dark red. Capsules subglobose to ovoid, tomentose, 2-3 cm. long, on stout decurved peduncles up to 1·5 cm. long; valves 3 or rarely 4, thick, woody"  (Allan, 1982; p. 314).

Description from Flora of Australia online.

Habitat/ecology:  In New Zealand (native), "forest margins and streamsides"  (Allan, 1982; p. 314).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  New Zealand (Kermadec Islands, North Island) (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Pacific offshore islands) Norfolk Islands	Norfolk Island	introduced invasive	Australian Biological Resources Study (2011) "Naturalised and reproducing itself in one or two places". Voucher cited: W.R. Sykes NI 527 (CHR)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive cultivated	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive cultivated	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (pp. 493-494, 539-540, 556) Voucher cited: Danton D(914)777. "Este pequeño árbol se naturalizó en RC en el bosque exotico (Falda Larga) donde aún está de forma esporádica. Podria volverse invasor como otras especies de este genero.  Está también presente en algunos jardines del pueblo de San Juan Bautista".
New Zealand (offshore islands) Kermadec Islands	Kermadec Islands	native	Allan, H. H. (1982) (p. 314)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	introduced invasive	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2011) "Naturalised on Malabar Headland, Central Coast".
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	native	Allan, H. H. (1982) (p. 314)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)

Additional information:
Additional online information about Pittosporum crassifolium is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Pittosporum crassifolium as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Pittosporum crassifolium may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Allan, H. H. 1982. Flora of New Zealand, vol. I: Indigenous Tracheophyta - Psilopsida, Lycopsida, Filicopsida, Gymnospermae, Dicotyledons. Botany Division, DSIR, Christchurch. .

Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John. 2011. Naturalized species in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile. Unpublished spreadsheet.

Australian Biological Resources Study. 2011. Flora of Australia Online. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.

Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido. 2006. Nouveau catalogue de la flore vaculaire de l'archipel Juan Fernández (Chile) [Nuevo catálogo de la flora vacular del Archipélago Juan Fernández (Chile)]. Acta Bot. Gallica 153(4):399-587.

National Herbarium of New South Wales. 2011. PlantNet: New South Wales Flora online. The Plant Information Network System of the Botanic Gardens Trust Version 2.0. Online resource.

U. S. Government. 2011. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2011. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.