''Pittosporum cornifolium'', known as tāwhiri karo in
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...
, is a species of plant in the
Pittosporaceae family. It is an epiphytic plant endemic to the North Island and the Marlborough Sounds of the South Island,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. In the wild it is considered rare and threatened, although it occurs more frequently on offshore islands in the north-east, along with ''
P. kirkii'', the only other epiphytic member of the genus. Also grows well as a ground plant and is a popular garden ornamental with two recognised cultivars.
Description and habitat
''Pittosporum cornifolium'' is an attractive hanging plant or shrub growing to 2m tall, with leaves which are shiny dark green, arranged in wide verticils or whorls.
Reddish buds appear over the top of the verticils, producing yellow fragrant flowers usually in late winter. The fruit opens to reveal black seeds highlighted by the orange coloured pith covering the internal surface of the capsule, attracting birds.
Naturally occurring plants grow with other epiphytes often in large puriri and rata trees, and occasionally in rock crevices.
[Field guide to New Zealand's epiphytes, vines & mistletoes, Catherine L. Kirby, published by Environmental Research Institute, Hamilton NZ 2014 ]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15588847
cornifolium
Endemic flora of New Zealand