Pittosporum crassifolium
Pittosporum crassifolium
Safety & Hazards
This plant contains saponins[ 153 Title Economic Native Plants of New Zealand. Publication Author Brooker. S. G., Cambie. R. C. and Cooper. R. C. Publisher Oxford University Press Year 1991 ISBN 0-19-558229-2 Description An interesting and readable book on the useful plants of New Zealand. ]. Although poisonous, saponins also have a range of medicinal applications and many saponin-rich plants are used in herbalism (particularly as emetics, expectorants and febrifuges) or as sources of raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry. Saponins are also found in a number of common foods, such as many beans. Saponins have a quite bitter flavour and are in general poorly absorbed by the human body, so most pass through without harm. They can be removed by carefully leaching in running water. Thorough cooking, and perhaps changing the cooking water once, will also normally remove most of them. However, it is not advisable to eat large quantities of raw foods that contain saponins. Saponins are much more toxic to many cold-blooded creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish and make them easy to catch[ K Title Plants for a Future Author Ken Fern Description Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips. ].
Botanical Description
Pittosporum crassifolium is an evergreen shrub or small tree with erect to ascending branches; it can grow from 1 - 10 metres tall[ 44 Title Flora of New Zealand. Publication Author Allan. H. H. Website http://floraseries.landcareresearch.co.nz/pages/Book.aspx?fileName=Flora%201.xml Publisher Government Printer, Wellington. Year 1961 ISBN - Description The standard work, in 5 volumes though only the first two are of interest to the plant project. Very good on habitats. There is also an on-line version. , 1683 Title The Australian and New Zealand Species of Pittosporum Publication Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden Vol. 43 No. 2, pp 87-188 May 1956 Author Cooper R.C. Publisher Year 1956 ISBN Description Rather dated, but still an excellent treatment. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a source of materials. The plant is often grown as an ornamental, where it is often used as a hedge - there are several named forms[ 200 Title The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. Publication Author Huxley. A. Publisher MacMillan Press Year 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5 Description Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed. ]. It is a particularly useful street tree for heavily polluted inner city areas[ 1685 Title Revision of Pittosporum (Pittosporaceae) in Australia Publication Australian Systematic Botany 13, 845-902, 2000 Author Cayzer L.W.; Crisp M.D. & Telford I.R.H. Publisher Year 2000 ISBN Description A comprehensive review of the genus in Australia ].