About Pittosporum multiflorum (A.Cunn. ex London) L.W.Cayzer, Crisp & I.Telford
Growth Form
Pittosporum multiflorum is a shrub that reaches 1 to 3 meters in height. It is heavily branched and bears small spines.
Leaf Characteristics
Its leaves are nearly circular, 3 to 12 millimeters long, and have almost no leaf stalks. Most leaves have toothed margins, though entire margins rarely occur.
Flowering Period
Flowering takes place in spring or summer.
Fruit Characteristics
The plant’s orange fruit often remains attached to it for an extended period.
Regeneration
Regeneration from fresh seed is slow, but it is fairly reliable.
Species Distinction
This species is very similar to its close relative Pittosporum spinescens, but can be easily told apart by its toothed leaf margins.
Common Names
The 1889 book The Useful Native Plants of Australia records that common names for this species include "Native Orange" and "Orange Thorn", and notes that "The fruit is an orange berry with a leathery skin, about one inch and a half in diameter.
Fruit Details
The seeds are large. It is eaten by the aboriginals."
