pittosporum

American  

[pi-tos-per-uhm, pit-uh-spawr-uhm, -spohr-] / pɪˈtɒs pər əm, ˌpɪt əˈspɔr əm, -ˈspoʊr- /

noun

1. any of various shrubs or trees of the genus Pittosporum, native to warm regions of the Old World, many species of which are cultivated as ornamentals for their attractive foliage, flowers, or fruit.

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pittosporum British  

/ pɪˈtɒspərəm /

noun

1. any of various trees and shrubs of the Pittosporum genus of Australasia, Asia, and Africa, having small fragrant flowers

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Etymology

Origin of pittosporum

< New Latin, equivalent to Greek ( Attic ) pitto- (combining form of pítta, píssa pitch ² ) + spór ( os ) seed ( see spore) + New Latin -um neuter noun ending; so called from the resinous coating of the seeds

Example Sentences

Cotoneaster salicifolius ‘Gnome,’ Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golf Ball’ and the dwarf conifer Thujopsis dolobrata ‘Nana’.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 25, 2022

The Pittosporum angustifolium we also recognised here, loaded with its singular orange-coloured bivalved fruit.

From Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia, Volume 2 by Mitchell, Thomas

The musk-tree and the Pittosporum scent the air, and lovely twining plants help to form an impenetrable foliage.

From Australian Pictures Drawn with Pen and Pencil by Willoughby, Howard

Pittosporum undulatum.—A plant from New Zealand, which reaches a considerable size, and furnishes a wood similar to boxwood.

From Catalogue of Economic Plants in the Collection of the U. S. Department of Agriculture by Saunders, William

Australian affinities are shown by the genera Exocarpus, Cyathodes, Melicope, Pittosporum, and by a phyllodinous Acacia.

From Island Life Or the Phenomena and Causes of Insular Faunas and Floras by Wallace, Alfred Russel