Communities

Scientific Name

Pittosporum bicolor

Family Name

PITTOSPORACEAE

Common Name

Cheesewood, Tallow-wood

Status

Height

14.0m (1400cm)

Flowers

Yellow or red flowers flushed with deep crimson or purple hanging on stalks.

Fruit

Seed follicles

Form

Small tree or stunted shrub

Municipalities

Break O'Day; Burnie; Central Coast; Central Highlands; Circular Head; Derwent Valley; Devonport; Dorset; Flinders Island; Georgetown; Glamorgan-Spring Bay; Glenorchy; Hobart; Huon Valley; Kentish; King Island; Kingborough; Latrobe; Launceston; Meander Valley; Northern Midlands; Sorell; Southern Midlands; Tasman; Waratah-Wynyard; West Coast; West Tamar

Communities

Montane Vegetation; Wet Eucalypt Forest

Habitat Notes

Widespread in wet forests and gullies, sea level to 1500m.

Site Tolerance

Moist; Rocky; Shady

Frost Tolerance

Moderate

Soil Tolerance

Clay; Fertile; Loam; Well-drained

General Notes

Not suitable below powerlines.

Propagation Details

Propagation Calendar

Flowering Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Seed Collecting Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Sowing Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Cutting Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Seed Information

Seed Collection

Capsule rounded and compressed, at first yellowish-green then woody, 8-10mm broad, the valves woody , opening flat into 2 valves leaving the seeds in a red pulp in the centre. 8-20 seeds per capsule

Seed Treatment Method

Washing

Seed Storage Life

Viable Seeds Per Gram

Seed Treatment Notes

To separate the seed mix with dry sand. Bird-ingested seed or seed treated with pancreatin results in more rapid germination. Contains an inhibitor in the sticky seed coating & should be washed in detergent and water, then rubbed down with coarse sand for several minutes before sowing. May be prone to damping off.

Germination Time

2-3 months

Suitable for Direct Seeding

Yes

Cuttings

Expected Time to Take Root

4-6 weeks

Expected Time to Plant Out

8-12 weeks

Propagation by Division N.B. Transplant only from nearby to avoid disease.

Cutting Notes

May be propagated from cuttings.