PITTOSPORACEAE
Morphological description
Woody, non-climbing, usually aromatic. Sometimes spiny shrub, fruit indehiscent (Citriobatus).
Leaves
Leaves simple, penninerved, spiral, exstipulate. Usually leaves partly crowded, entire.
Inflorescence
Inflorescence.
Flowers
Flowers actinomorphic, usually 5-merous, bisexual; sepals and petals imbricate, nearly free; anthers usually basifixed, placentation parietal.
Fruit
Fruit a 2-carpellate capsule; seeds many, in sticky pulp. Sometimes fruit indehiscent (Citriobatus).
Seed
Seed many, in sticky pulp.
Different from: Goodeniaceae: flowers zygomorphic, sepals and petals united.
Distribution: Old World, mainly tropics, best represented in Australia. In Malesia 3 genera, incl.: - Pittosporum (Canary islands to Hawaii and South Polynesia), shrubs, trees, sometimes epiphytic; lowland to montane rain forest and monsoon forest.
Notes: Pittosporum often has bright coloured capsules with contrasting black seeds, which are eaten by birds. — Some species planted as ornamentals.
Literature: K. Bakker & C.G.G. J. van Steenis, Fl. Males. I, 5 (1957) 345-362; I, 6 (1972) 960-963.
Spot characters (Van Balgooy): Bursaria* 12 - Citriobatus 12 - Hymenosporum 102 - Pittosporum 14, 17, 28, 46, 101.
Illustrations: Fig. 132. Pittosporum moluccanum (Lam.) Miq.: a. flowering branch; b. flower bud; c. LS of flower; d. stamen; e. fruit; f. fruit dehisced.
Image in PhytoImages for Pittosporaceae