Australian Laurel

Pittosporum tobira

''Pittosporum tobira'' is a species of sweet-smelling flowering plant in the pittosporum family Pittosporaceae known by several common names, including Australian laurel, Japanese pittosporum, mock orange and Japanese cheesewood. It is native to eastern Mediterranean , as well as in Japan, China, and Korea.
Australian laurel - Pittosporum tobira https://www.jungledragon.com/image/101574/australian_laurel_-_pittosporum_tobira.html Apiales,Australian laurel,Central Macedonia,Eudicot,Europe,Flowering Plant,Geotagged,Greece,Magnoliophyta,Pittosporaceae,Pittosporum tobira,Plantae,Summer,Wildlife

Appearance

It is an evergreen shrub which can reach 10 m tall by 3 m broad, and can become treelike. It can also be trimmed into a hedge.

The leaves are oval in shape with edges that curl under and measure up to 10 cm in length. They are leathery, hairless, and darker and shinier on the upper surfaces.

The inflorescence is a cluster of fragrant flowers occurring at the ends of branches. The flower has five white petals each about a centimetre long. The fruit is a hairy, woody capsule about 1 cm wide divided into three valves. Inside are black seeds in a bed of resinous pulp.
Australian laurel - Pittosporum tobira https://www.jungledragon.com/image/101577/australian_laurel_-_pittosporum_tobira.html Apiales,Australian laurel,Central Macedonia,Eudicot,Europe,Flowering Plant,Geotagged,Greece,Magnoliophyta,Pittosporaceae,Pittosporum tobira,Plantae,Summer,Wildlife

Naming

The binomial qualifier ''tobira'' derives from the Japanese name for the plant.

Predators

Common pests of this plant include various aphids, mites, and leafhoppers, the cotton cushiony scale, and root-knot nematodes. It can be attacked by the pit-making pittosporum scale. It is vulnerable to the fungal plant pathogen ''Erythricium salmonicolor'', which causes galls and the dieback disease known as pink limb blight.

References:

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Taxonomy
KingdomPlantae
DivisionAngiosperms
ClassEudicots
OrderApiales
FamilyPittosporaceae
GenusPittosporum
SpeciesP. tobira
Photographed in
Greece