Pittosporum undulatum (Sweet Pittosporum) is a tree growing to 15m tall with wavy (undulating) leaf edges. It is often known as Sweet Pittosporum and occasionally as Native Daphne, Australian Cheesewood, Victorian Box or Mock Orange. It carries conspicuous orange woody fruits about 1 cm in diameter for several months after flowering in spring or early summer.

Originally Pittosporum undulatum grew in moist areas on the Australian east coast, where its natural range was from south-east Queensland to eastern Victoria, however it has increased its range since European settlement. It is a fast grower, and has become a weed in other parts of Australia where it is not indigenous. It is also highly invasive in South Africa, the Caribbean, Hawaii, the Azores and southern Brazil.

 

The earliest known record (according to the Australian Virtual Herbarium) is from Port Jackson, Sydney, in 1803. However, P. undulatum's status around the Sydney area is contentious. Even though it is native to the region, P. undulatum has spread to soils and bushland where it wasn't found before European settlement, often out-competing other plants. It has done especially well in areas where the environment has been altered by humans - for example by habitat fragmentation weakening other natives, by fertilizer runoff from homes increasing soil nutrients and by the suppression of bushfires near suburbs. Unlike most natives, P. undulatum takes advantage of high nutrient levels and its seeds can germinate without needing fire.

 

Type of Plant: A long-lived large shrub to small tree.

 

Leaves and Flowers: Leaves usually sit horizontally and are aromatic, glossy dark green and paler underneath with an undulating edge. Flowers are creamy-white and bell shaped with a sweet fragrance. The scented creamy-white flowers form at the ends of stems in clusters during early spring.

 

Fruit/Seed: The fruit are orange capsules which ripen in autumn to winter and contain a sticky red seed. The fruit form as green turning orange when ripe. When they split they expose 20-30 sticky orange-red seeds.

 

Dispersal: Reproduces from seed with assistance from birds who eat the fruit then excrete the seed, providing excellent dispersal capacity within the birds range. Seed is also potentially spread by possums, foxes, deer and other animals. Movement of soil and garden waste also allows dispersal of viable seed.

 

Distribution: A garden escapee of the Dandenong Ranges which can be found in both disturbed and undisturbed bushland areas throughout Southern Victoria. Although very hardy it needs to grow where there is sufficient moisture available.

 

Status: Undeclared in Victoria.