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Volume I (1961) - Flora of New Zealand Indigenous Tracheophyta - Psilopsida, Lycopsida, Filicopsida, Gymnospermae, Dicotyledons
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Pittosporum Banks & Sol. ex Gaertn.

PITTOSPORUM Banks ex Gaertn., 1788

Fls perfect to unisexual by abortion, panicled to umbellately arranged or in fascicles, or solitary. Ovary 2-5-celled, style short; ovules few to ∞, sts aborted. Fr. a globose to ovoid or obovoid capsule with solitary to ∞ seeds; valves 2-5, us. woody or leathery, crowned by hardened remains of style; seeds often immersed in viscid fluid. Trees and shrubs with alt. to subverticillate lvs. Genus of some 160 spp., mainly tropical and subtropical southern hemisphere; the N.Z. spp endemic.

SYNOPSIS

  • A.
    • Plants with strongly heteroblastic development; capsules 2-valved
    • 1.
      • Plant finally a tree; infl. terminal
      • a.
      • b.
        • Umbels 2-6-fld, or fls solitary:
        • virgatum
    • 2.
      • Plants remaining shrubby; infl. terminal
      • a.
      • b.
        • Infl. terminal on short arrested branchlets, occ. axillary
        • i.
          • Capsules submembr., seeds not immersed in viscid fluid but covered by papery membrane:
          • anomalum
        • ii.
  • B.
    • Plants of monoblastic development
    • 1.
      • Fls axillary, solitary; capsules 3-valved:
      • tenuifolium 0. (fasciculatum,huttonianum),colensoi,buchananii
    • 2.
      • Infl. both axillary and terminal, fascicled or umbelled; capsules 2-3-valved:
      • intermedium,fasciculatum,huttonianum
    • 3.
      • Infl. terminal, umbelled or fascicled, rarely solitary
      • a.
        • Infl. compound; capsules 2-valved; seeds covered by papery membrane
        • i.
          • Fls white, large; umbels congested; lvs serrate:
          • dallii
        • ii.
          • Fls yellowish, small; umbels not congested; lvs entire:
          • eugenioides
      • b.
        • Infl. of simple umbels or fascicles, rarely solitary
        • i.
        • ii.
          • Capsules 2-3-valved
          • α
            • Plants epiphytic, rarely terrestrial
            • (1)
              • Capsules about elliptic in outline; lvs linear-obovate, very thick:
              • kirkii
            • (2)
              • Capsules ovoid to obovoid; lvs of elliptic order, thinly coriac.:
              • cornifolium
          • ß

Key

1
Mature lvs densely clad in felted tomentum below
2
Mature lvs glab. or nearly so, occ. with patches of very thin tomentum
3
2
Lvs gradually narrowed to petiole, margins revolute; capsules c. 2.5 cm. long
18. crassifolium
Lvs rather abruptly narrowed to petiole, margins flat; capsules c. 1·5 cm. long
19. ralphii
3
Lvs of adult plants distinctly toothed or lobed
4
Lvs of adult plants entire or nearly so
7
4
Lvs (5)-10 × (1)-4 cm.; petals white, up to 2 cm. long
26. dallii
Lvs < 5 cm. long; petals not white, < 1 cm. Long
5
5
Lvs 4-5 × 1-1·5 cm.; branches not divaricate
1. patulum
Lvs hardly > 20 × 5 mm.; branches divaricate
6
6
Branchlets stout, capsules hard; seeds not enclosed in papery membrane
10. divaricatum
Branchlets slender, capsules submembr.; seeds enclosed in papery membrane
6. anomalum
7
Lvs of adults, all or most, < 2 cm. long
8
Lvs of adults, all or most, > 2.5 cm. long
15
8
Lvs of adults of linear to linear-lanceolate order
9
Lvs of adults of elliptic-oblong to ovate or obovate-oblong or sub-orbicular order
12
9
Capsules submembr.; seeds enclosed in papery membrane, viscid juice absent
6. anomalum
Capsules coriac. to woody; seeds not enclosed in papery membrane, ± immersed in viscid fluid
10
10
Lvs crowded, whorled or alt., apiculate; branchlets slender, flexuous, not divaricate
5. pimeleoides
Lvs scattered, alt. or fascicled, not apiculate; branchlets stout, divaricate
11
11
Lvs of adults linear, obtuse to truncate, all entire or nearly so; bark dark
11. lineare
Lvs of adults dimorphic: (a) linear-obovate (b) irregularly lobed; bark pale
10. divaricatum
12
Lvs almost or quite as broad as long; petals pale red to yellowish or white, up to 5 mm. long
7. obcordatum
Lvs of oblong-obovate to oblong order; petals very dark red, 5-9 mm. long
13
13
Mature plants with dimorphic lvs: (a) narrow-obovate to obovate (b) deeply lobed; capsule valves almost smooth, glab.
10. divaricatum
Mature plants with lvs all about obovate-oblong to broad-elliptic; capsule valves distinctly granulate, tomentose when young
14
14
Lvs, all or most, 1-2 cm. long, alt., rarely fascicled; fls terminal or axillary
8. rigidum
Lvs, all or most, not > 1 cm. long, mostly in alt. fascicles; fls terminal on short arrested branchlets bearing fascicles of lvs
9. crassicaule
15
Young lvs and branchlets clad in white to pale buff cottony to floccose tomentum
16
Young lvs and branchlets not so clad
17
16
Bark black; lvs c. 7·5-12.5 cm. long; fls axillary, solitary or in axillary and terminal cymes
17. huttonianum
Bark brown; lvs c. 5-7·5 cm. long; fls terminal
20. fairchildii
17
Infl. a compound umbel; fls yellowish, small; lvs glossy, margins undulate, midrib pale
25. eugenioides
Infl. and other characters not as above in combination
18
18
Infl. axillary, at least in parts
19
Infl. wholly terminal
24
19
Infl. of dense fascicles; peduncles, bracts and sepals densely hoary tomentose; ripe peduncles decurved
16. fasciculatum
Infl. etc. not as above in combination
20
20
Lvs, most or all, not > 3 cm. long; plant a densely branched shrub
8. rigidum
Lvs, most or all, distinctly > 3 cm. long; plant a small tree
21
21
Lvs 5-15 cm. long, including petiole
22
Lvs 2-8 cm. long, including petiole
23
22
Lvs submembr.; sepals obtuse; peduncles glab. to silky pubescent; capsules < 1·5 cm. diam.
14. buchananii
Lvs coriac.; sepals acute; peduncles clad in loose white tomentum, capsules c. 2 cm. diam.
17. huttonianum
23
Lvs submembr., us. light green and undulate; capsule valves rather thin
12. tenuifolium
Lvs coriac., us. dark green, not undulate; capsule valves thick and woody
13. colensoi
24
Capsules with acuminate beaklike apex; plant prostrate, or if erect or ascending then stem very slender, often becoming reclinate
25
Capsules and habit not as above
26
25
Lvs of linear order; stems erect or reclinate
5. pimeleoides
Lvs of obovate-elliptic order; stems prostrate, here and there rooting
4. michiei
26
Capsules 3- or 3-4-valved
27
Capsules 2-valved
29
27
Plant epiphytic or on rocks; lvs, at least some, whorled; valves orange-yellow within
22. cornifolium
Plant terrestrial, lvs all alt.; valves not orange-yellow within
28
28
Bark black, lvs 7·5-12.5 cm. long; capsules downy at first, later with finely granulate surface, 3- or rarely 2-valved
17. huttonianum
Bark brown, lvs 5-7·5 cm. long; capsules nearly glab., with rough surface, 3-4-valved
20. fairchildii
29
Lvs very thick, coriac., narrow-obovate, 5-12 cm. long including petiole; fls yellow, sepals and petals acuminate; capsules elliptic-oblong to elliptic-obovoid, c. 3-4 cm. long; plant us. glab.
21. kirkii
Lvs, etc., not as above in combination
30
30
Plant epiphytic or on rocks, occ. surviving on forest floor; lvs, all or most, whorled; capsules < 1·5 cm. diam., valves orange-yellow within
22. cornifolium
Plant not having the above characters in combination
31
31
Young branchlets and lvs densely clad in ferruginous (rarely fulvous) tomentum
32
Young branchlets and lvs not so clad, sparse fulvous hairs may be present
33
32
Lvs of young trees multiform, of narrow-lanceolate order, entire to pinnatifid; lvs of mature trees 2.5-5 cm. long; capsules c. 1·5 cm. diam. or less
3. virgatum
Lvs of young trees not multiform, of elliptic order, entire, 5-10 cm. long; capsules c. 1·7 cm. diam. or more
23. ellipticum
33
Lvs, all or most, 5-10 cm. long
34
Lvs, all or most, not > 6 cm. Long
36
34
Young lvs and branchlets clad in dense cobwebby or floccose tomentum
17. huttonianum
Young lvs and branchlets glab. or with sparse hairs
35
35
Capsules 2-valved, almost tetragonous, valves deeply furrowed; fls pinkish
24. umbellatum
Capsules 2-3-valved, not at all tetragonous, valves not deeply furrowed; fls dark red
16. fasciculatum
36
Lvs not > c. 1 cm. wide, some toothed
37
Lvs much > 1 cm. wide, all entire
38
37
Juvenile plant with densely divaricating branchlets; lvs of adults 1-4 cm. long, narrow-obovate, gradually narrowed to subsessile base; capsules not > c. 7 mm. diam.
2. turneri
Juvenile plant with ascending not divaricate branchlets; lvs of adults 3-5 cm. long, narrow-oblong, gradually narrowed to short petiole; capsules up to 1 cm. diam.
1. patulum
38
Plant epiphytic or on rocks; lvs mostly whorled, elliptic-rhomboid; capsules < 1·5 cm. diam., valves orange-yellow within
22. cornifolium
Plant terrestrial; lvs alt., obovate; capsules c. 2 cm. diam.; valves not orange-yellow within
15. intermedium
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