Pittosporum lancifolium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Narrow-leaved orange thorn | |
|---|---|
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| In the ANBG | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Apiales |
| Family: | Pittosporaceae |
| Genus: | Pittosporum |
| Species: | P. lancifolium |
| Binomial name | |
| Pittosporum lancifolium | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Pittosporum lancifolium, commonly known as narrow-leaved orange thorn or sticky orange thorn,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Pittosporaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is an erect shrub or small tree with narrowly egg-shaped to elliptic or broadly lance-shaped leaves, sessile flowers arranged singly or in pairs in leaf axils and spherical capsules.
Pittosporum lancifolium is an erect shrub or graceful tree that grows to a height of up to 25 m (82 ft) with a dbh of 30 cm (12 in), but is rarely more than 4 m (13 ft) high. Its bark is whitish, and the branchlets are often spiny. The leaves are arranged alternately, narrowly egg-shaped to elliptic or broadly lance-shaped, usually 15–40 mm (0.59–1.57 in) long and 5–20 mm (0.20–0.79 in) wide on a petiole 1–3 mm (0.039–0.118 in) long. The leaves are glabrous with inconspicuous oil glands on both surfaces. The flowers are sessile, borne singly or in pairs in leaf axils, the sepals of male flowers linear, 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long, those of female flowers petal-like and up to 6 mm (0.24 in) long. The petals are white or cream-coloured, and form a tube 3–9 mm (0.12–0.35 in) long. Flowering occurs in September and October, and the fruit is a glabrous, spherical purple capsule 6–10 mm (0.24–0.39 in) in diameter containing about ten seeds in a sticky fluid.[2][3][4]