''Pittosporum kirkii'' is a glabrous evergreen perennial shrub that reaches up to in height and possesses distinctive coriaceous, fleshy, thick leaves.Cooper RC 1956 The Australian and New Zealand species of ''Pittosporum''. ''Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden'' 43: 87–188Myron KJ 2012 ''Pittosporum kirkii'': autecology of an endemic shrub epiphyte. Unpubl M.Sc Thesis. Hamilton, University of Waikato, url=http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/handle/10289/6621 It is one of four shrubs endemic to

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 ...

that frequently displays an

epiphytic An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

lifestyle. ''P. kirkii'' is commonly epiphytic, perched amongst nest epiphytes in the canopies of emergent or canopy trees in

old-growth forest An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

; however, it can be observed occasionally growing on the ground or over rocks (in a rupestral lifestyle). Kirk first observed ''P. kirkii'' on Great Barrier Island. It was described by Joseph Dalton Hooker from material collected by Thomas Kirk, possibly from the Thames Goldfields, and published in 1869. The initial brief description titled ''Pittosporum n. sp.?'' by Thomas Kirk was published in his paper on Great Barrier Island in 1868. This description along with herbarium specimens were sent to Dr. J. D Hooker at Kew Gardens in 1868, and he collaborated to name it after T. Kirk, by giving it the specific epithet ''kirkii'' within the publication that was otherwise written by Kirk. Kirk's (1869) description reads:

''Pittosporum Kirkii'', Hook. f., n. sp., A handsome, laxly-branched shrub, 3–15 feet high, branchlets stout, rigid, ascending; bark reddish-purple, leaves alternate, crowded or whorled, linear-obovate, acute or obtuse, 2-5 inches long, gradually narrowed into rather broad purple petioles, excessively coriaceous, glabrous, pale-green above, lighter below, midrib stout, prominent and cuiously flattened beneath; flowers terminal in 3-7 flowered umbels, peduncles rather stout, decurved; sepals broadly lanceolate with membranous margins; petals ligulate, bright yellowe, recurved; capsules erect, clustered, glabrous, elliptic, 1-1 1/2 inches long, obtuse, 2-valved, remarkably compressed, but the valves contract in a curious manner when the capsule bursts.

An illustration in

Cheeseman Cheeseman is a surname, meaning a maker or seller of cheese. Over time, the name has been spelt in a variety of different ways, including Cheesman, Cheseman, Chesman, Chessman, Chiesman and Chisman. Notable people with the surname include: * An ...

et al. (1914
1
was the first to highlight the male and female reproductive structures (

dioecy Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...

) of ''P. kirkii''. ''Pittosporum kirkii'' has a known restricted geographical range in the North Island, extending from Mangonui in Northland (ca. 35o0'1S) to Raetihi and in the

Matemateāonga Range The Matemateāonga Range is a range of rugged hills in the northern Manawatū-Whanganui region of the western North Island of New Zealand. It is located on the western side the Whanganui River between Wanganui, New Zealand, Wanganui and Taumarunui. ...

south of Ohakune (ca. 39o3'8S) with a mean altitude of 471 (± 0.11) meters above sea level. It is also notably abundant on the offshore islands of Great Barrier and Little Barrier. ''Pittosporum kirkii'' is currently listed as in decline and is nowhere common throughout its range.de Lange et al. 2009 Threatened and uncommon plants of New Zealand (2008 revision). ''New Zealand Journal of Botany'' 47: 61–96.Young M 2010 ''Pittosporum kirkii'' on Mount Tamahunga. ''Auckland Botanical Society'' 65: 85–147.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7199142 Flora of New Zealand kirkii