Pittosporum viridiflorum
Cape cheesewood · also Cape pittosporum, Kasuur, Kgalagangwe
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Pittosporum viridiflorum is a versatile shrub or tree, reaching heights of up to 20 meters, with smooth pale to dark grey bark that becomes rough with age. It produces sweetly fragrant, greenish-white blossoms and is native to a wide range of environments across tropical and southern Africa, Madagascar, and the Arabian Peninsula. This species tolerates full sun to partial shade, prefers well-drained, moderately moist soils, and exhibits some drought tolerance, making it adaptable for urban planting.
Where it grows
Trees in each city's inventory, with the share of that city's named trees this species accounts for.
- 990.02%35 yr7.5 in
Traits
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Mature height
- 10–30 ft
- Canopy spread
- 6–20 ft
- Sun
- Full sun, Part shade
- Soil
- Well-drained, Moderately moist
- Water needs
- Low
- Drought tolerance
- Moderate
- Wildlife value
- Moderate
Trunk diameters across every city: median 7.5 in, mean 11 in, 90th percentile 21 in. Measured at breast height, as published by each inventory.
Native range
Terrestrial ecoregions where this species is native. Trees in the dataset mostly stand well outside it.
Tropical & Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
- Cameroon Highlands forests
- Central Congolian lowland forests
- East African montane forests
- Kwazulu Natal-Cape coastal forests
- Madagascar humid forests
- Madagascar subhumid forests
- Mount Cameroon and Bioko montane forests
- Southern Swahili coastal forests and woodlands
Tropical & Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas & Shrublands
- Central Zambezian wet miombo woodlands
- South Arabian fog woodlands, shrublands, and dune
Tropical & Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests
- Madagascar dry deciduous forests
Other Pittosporum in the catalogue
10 of the top 2,000 species are in this genus.
