Pittosporum virgatum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pittosporum virgatum |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Pittosporum
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| Species: |
virgatum
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The Pittosporum virgatum, also known as the New Zealand plant from the Pittosporaceae family, is a special tree. It only grows naturally in New Zealand, meaning it is endemic there. This tree is quite unique and has some interesting features.
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What is Pittosporum virgatum?
This is a small, slender tree. It has branches that grow in circles, like a spiral staircase. When the leaves are young, they are covered in a soft, rusty-colored fuzz. The flowers are usually pink or purple. Its leaves can be wavy or have smooth edges. Sometimes, they are even shaped with rounded sections, called lobed. After flowering, the tree produces a seed pod, called a capsule. This capsule splits open to show black, sticky seeds inside.
Where Does It Grow?
This special tree is found only in New Zealand. It grows on the North Island and Great Barrier Island. You can find it from the Mangamuka and Herekino Ranges in the north. It spreads south and east to Great Barrier Island and the Coromandel Peninsula. Its most southern known location is around the Kauaerange Valley.
Where Does It Live?
Pittosporum virgatum usually lives in kauri forests. Kauri trees are very large and important native trees in New Zealand. You often see this plant on ridge lines. It also grows in areas where land has slipped or in new growth after kauri forests have been cut down.
Sometimes, it can be found in other types of forests too. It might grow with tanekaha (a type of conifer), towai, or kamahi trees. No matter where it grows, this plant likes open spaces. It often forms groups of trees that seem to be the same age.
Amazing Features of the Tree
Pittosporum virgatum is a slender tree that can grow up to 8 meters (about 26 feet) tall. When it's young, it grows in a narrow, upright shape. As it gets older, its branches spread out more. The trunk is a slender gray-brown color. Older trees have branches that grow in clear circles, mostly at the top.
The young branches are flexible and brown. They are covered with a rusty-brown fuzz at first, but this soon disappears. The leaf stalks are small and hairy. Leaves grow close together at the ends of the branches.
- Young Leaves: These leaves are 1 to 4 cm long. They are dark green or yellow-green and can be long and narrow. Their edges can be smooth or have different shapes, sometimes even deeply divided. Both sides of these young leaves are covered in rusty-brown fuzz, which later falls off.
- Middle Leaves: These leaves are larger, about 1.3 to 5.5 cm long. They can be spear-shaped, narrow, oval, or wider at the top. They are usually lobed or deeply divided. Like the young leaves, they are fuzzy at first.
- Adult Leaves: These leaves are 1.8 to 7 cm long. They can be oval, wider at the top, or sometimes long and narrow. Their edges can be smooth or wavy.
The flowers grow in small clusters of 1 to 6 flowers at the end of branches. Sometimes, a single flower grows. The flower stalks are fuzzy and grow longer when the fruit develops. They are surrounded by a circle of leaves and some small, fuzzy scales that fall off.
The petals are 6 to 13 mm long. They are long and narrow, often pointed. They are joined together for about half their length, forming a tube. The tips of the petals bend backward. Flowers can be dark red, purple, pink, white, or golden yellow. Inside the flower, there are stamens (the male parts) and an ovary (the female part). The ovary is fuzzy and develops into the fruit.
Life Cycle: Flowering and Fruiting
This tree has a specific time for its flowers and fruits.
- Flowering: You can see the beautiful flowers of Pittosporum virgatum from September to November.
- Fruiting: The fruits usually appear from July to August. However, you might find fruits on the tree all year round.
How to Grow This Plant
It is quite easy to grow Pittosporum virgatum from fresh seeds. The seeds can take a while to sprout, usually between 6 and 12 months. You can also grow new plants from semi-hardwood cuttings. This is a lovely species that makes a great stand-alone tree in a garden.
Threats to the Tree
On Great Barrier Island, this tree is quite common. However, in other parts of New Zealand, it has always been a rare plant, found only in certain kauri forests. Even though it naturally grows in small numbers, it faces some dangers.
One big threat is the possum. Possums like to eat the leaves and branches of this tree. Also, some groups of these trees were probably lost or reduced when kauri forests were logged in the past. Recent observations in Northland, an area once thought to be a safe place for the tree, show that it is now seriously threatened. Because of these dangers, Pittosporum virgatum will likely be listed as more at risk in the near future.
