Pittosporum viridiflorum Sims, Pittosporaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 7 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

English: cape cheesewood, cape pittosporum

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Small trees 3-6 m tall, young parts and inflorescences sparsely puberulent; branches glabrous.  Leaves leathery, 6-15 cm long, 2.2-4 cm wide, glabrous, margins minutely revolute, apex bluntly acuminate to rounded, base attenuate, petioles 0.6-1.5 cm long.  Flowers perfect, numerous in terminal, branched, corymbose inflorescences, peduncles 0-8 mm long, pedicels slender, 5-7 mm long; sepals elliptic, ca. 1.5 mm long, margins scarious; petals yellowish green, 5-6 mm long, margins slightly revolute and erose; ovary 2-carpellate.  Capsules depressed-subglobose, slightly compressed, 4-5 mm long, the valves with thin exocarp, the surface minutely rugulose.  Seeds 4-6, reddish black, subreniform, somewhat compressed, ca. 3.5-4 mm long"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1048).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, "cultivated and sparingly naturalized at ca. 1,000 m"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1048).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  South Africa

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	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1048) Voucher cited: Clay s. n. (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1048)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Starr, Forest/Martz, Kim/Loope, Lloyd L. (1999) (p. 14) East Maui. Voucher cited: Starr & Martz 980506-135 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced	Wester, Lyndon (1992) (p. 146)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Frohlich, Danielle/Lau, Alex (2012) (pp. 43-44) Voucher cited: D. Frohlich & A. Lau 2011040701 (BISH)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Pittosporum viridiflorum, please let us know.