Pittosporum pentandrum (Blanco) Merr., Pittosporaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: tai qiong hai tong

English: mamalis, pittosporum, Taiwanese cheesewood

Habit:  shrub/tree

Description:  "A small tree or shrub, the bark greenish-white, with conspicuous lenticels; branchlets brownish pubescent. Leaves obovate-lanceolate or elliptic lanceolate, 4-11 cm long, 1.3-4 cm broad, acute at both ends, entire to crenate; petioles 0.4-1.5 cm long. Inflorescence in terminal, small, crowded, brown-pubescent panicles, 2-8.6 cm long, the flowers small, crowded about 5 mm across; sepals 5, ovate, 1-2 mm long, distinct; petals 5, oblong-linear, 5 mm long truncate. Capsule globose, 7-8 mm across, slightly apiculate, 2-valved, the valves subwoody. Seeds 5-6, about 3 mm thick, angled" (Editorial Committee, Flora of Taiwan; p. 3:67).

Description from Flora of China online.

Habitat/ecology:  Moist and wet disturbed forests at low elevations. Commonly planted as a street tree.

Propagation:  Seed, spread by birds.

Native range:  China (S. Guangxi, Hainan), Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia (Celebes), Philippines (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Herbarium Pacificum Staff (1999) (p. 6) Voucher cited: B. Stevens 3 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Frohlich, Danielle/Lau, Alex (2012) (p. 43) Voucher cited: D. Frohlich & A. Lau 2010031103 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Herbarium Pacificum Staff (1999) (p. 6) Voucher cited: E. Koes & L. Pyle 1 (BISH)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	Merrill, Elmer D. (1923) (pp. 222-223) Very common in secon-growth forests, parang, etc., at low and medium altitudes, ascending to 1,400 m.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) var. formosanum (Hayata) Z. Y. Zhang & Turland. "Thickets, slopes, seashores; sea level to 300 m". S Guangxi (Hepu Xian), Hainan.
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011) Celebes
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 70) Cultivated only
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) var. formosanum (Hayata) Z. Y. Zhang & Turland. "Thickets, slopes, seashores; sea level to 300 m".
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced invasive cultivated	Herbarium Pacificum Staff (1999) (p. 6)

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

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

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

References:

Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. 2009. A checklist of the total vascular plant flora of Singapore: native, naturalised and cultivated species. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore. 273 pp.

Editorial Committee. 1993. Flora of Taiwan. Second edition. National Science Council, Rep. China.

Frohlich, Danielle/Lau, Alex. 2012. New plant records for the Hawaiian Islands 2010-2011. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2011. Part II: Plants. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 113:27-54.

Herbarium Pacificum Staff. 1999. New Hawaiian plant records for 1998. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1998. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 58:3-11.

Merrill, Elmer D. 1923. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants, vol. 2 [reprint]. Bureau of Printing, Manila. 530 pp.

Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral/Imada, Clyde T. 2000. Survey of invasive or potentially invasive cultivated plants in Hawai‘i. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers No. 65. 35 pp.

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.

Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong. 2011. Flora of China (online resource).