Sweet Pittosporum (weed)

Weeds

20 Aug

Written By Glenda Scott

Pittosporum undulatum

COMMON NAME : Sweet Pittosporum

BOTANICAL NAME : Pittosporum undulatum

FAMILY : Pittosporaceae

PLANT GROUP : Weeds, Shrubs, Trees

SIZE : Large >5m

LOCAL NOTES:

Native to East Gippsland, Sweet Pittosporum has been widely planted locally for screening and windbreaks as it grows rapidly. It flourishes on roadsides and rapidly invades bushland including coastal reserves.

It has creamy white, fragrant flowers and its fruit, orange when mature contains seeds that is spread by birds. It can form a monoculture with large numbers of Pittosporum plants threatening biodiversity, preventing indigenous vegetation establishing by cutting out light, and by a toxic chemical in its leaves preventing growth of other plants.

This plant is considered to be an environmental weed locally in the South Gippsland coastal area. It is being targeted (the female plants bearing orange fruit first) for removal, although larger plants are best left standing and treated with "cut and paint" or "drill and fill methods". Small plants can be hand pulled.

Contributor: HB

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