So, I saw a shrub out in our bush today. I’d not seen it before. I immediately thought Pittosporum, but there shouldn’t really be Pittosporum there, they belong in the Eastern part of the state (I think). No flowers. No fruit.

Leaves:

The shrub in situ:

I guess I’ll have to wait until it flowers/fruits. Other possibility seems to be Myrsine howittiana. Anyone able to point me in the right direction. I then have to decide if it is a weed or not.

buffy said:

So, I saw a shrub out in our bush today. I’d not seen it before. I immediately thought Pittosporum, but there shouldn’t really be Pittosporum there, they belong in the Eastern part of the state (I think). No flowers. No fruit.

Leaves:

The shrub in situ:

I guess I’ll have to wait until it flowers/fruits. Other possibility seems to be Myrsine howittiana. Anyone able to point me in the right direction. I then have to decide if it is a weed or not.

Looks very like Pittosporum undulatum. It is a very weedy plant and can become the dominant species. The orange berries are sort-after by a number of birds who spread the seed far and wide. It would not surprise me at all if it turned up in your area and am surprised it is not already there.

Thanks PF. I’ll keep an eye on it, I knew the birds spread it. When if flowers I’ll see what it is. Then it may well hear the sound of chainsaw.

PermeateFree said:

buffy said:

So, I saw a shrub out in our bush today. I’d not seen it before. I immediately thought Pittosporum, but there shouldn’t really be Pittosporum there, they belong in the Eastern part of the state (I think). No flowers. No fruit.

Leaves:

The shrub in situ:

I guess I’ll have to wait until it flowers/fruits. Other possibility seems to be Myrsine howittiana. Anyone able to point me in the right direction. I then have to decide if it is a weed or not.

Looks very like Pittosporum undulatum. It is a very weedy plant and can become the dominant species. The orange berries are sort-after by a number of birds who spread the seed far and wide. It would not surprise me at all if it turned up in your area and am surprised it is not already there.

>>Widely naturalised naturalised beyond its native range in southern Australia (i.e. in south-western Western Australia, in Tasmania, in south-eastern South Australia and beyond its native range in Victoria). It is also naturalised on Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. It is also thought to have invaded habitats that it did not previously occupy within its native range in New South Wales.<<

https://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/media/Html/pittosporum_undulatum.htm

PermeateFree said:

PermeateFree said:

buffy said:

So, I saw a shrub out in our bush today. I’d not seen it before. I immediately thought Pittosporum, but there shouldn’t really be Pittosporum there, they belong in the Eastern part of the state (I think). No flowers. No fruit.

Leaves:

The shrub in situ:

I guess I’ll have to wait until it flowers/fruits. Other possibility seems to be Myrsine howittiana. Anyone able to point me in the right direction. I then have to decide if it is a weed or not.

Looks very like Pittosporum undulatum. It is a very weedy plant and can become the dominant species. The orange berries are sort-after by a number of birds who spread the seed far and wide. It would not surprise me at all if it turned up in your area and am surprised it is not already there.

>>Widely naturalised naturalised beyond its native range in southern Australia (i.e. in south-western Western Australia, in Tasmania, in south-eastern South Australia and beyond its native range in Victoria). It is also naturalised on Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. It is also thought to have invaded habitats that it did not previously occupy within its native range in New South Wales.<<

https://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/media/Html/pittosporum_undulatum.htm

Yeah, I saw that. I know it belongs down at Wilson’s Prom. I didn’t think it should be here.

buffy said:

PermeateFree said:

Looks very like Pittosporum undulatum. It is a very weedy plant and can become the dominant species. The orange berries are sort-after by a number of birds who spread the seed far and wide. It would not surprise me at all if it turned up in your area and am surprised it is not already there.

>>Widely naturalised naturalised beyond its native range in southern Australia (i.e. in south-western Western Australia, in Tasmania, in south-eastern South Australia and beyond its native range in Victoria). It is also naturalised on Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. It is also thought to have invaded habitats that it did not previously occupy within its native range in New South Wales.<<

https://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/media/Html/pittosporum_undulatum.htm

Yeah, I saw that. I know it belongs down at Wilson’s Prom. I didn’t think it should be here.

OK.

But you don’t want to kill every Australian native that is in the process of expanding its range. If we did that, Westgate Park, solely devoted to Australian native plants, would have nothing left in it other than wallaby grass.

mollwollfumble said:

buffy said:

PermeateFree said:

Looks very like Pittosporum undulatum. It is a very weedy plant and can become the dominant species. The orange berries are sort-after by a number of birds who spread the seed far and wide. It would not surprise me at all if it turned up in your area and am surprised it is not already there.

>>Widely naturalised naturalised beyond its native range in southern Australia (i.e. in south-western Western Australia, in Tasmania, in south-eastern South Australia and beyond its native range in Victoria). It is also naturalised on Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. It is also thought to have invaded habitats that it did not previously occupy within its native range in New South Wales.<<

https://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/media/Html/pittosporum_undulatum.htm

Yeah, I saw that. I know it belongs down at Wilson’s Prom. I didn’t think it should be here.

OK.

But you don’t want to kill every Australian native that is in the process of expanding its range. If we did that, Westgate Park, solely devoted to Australian native plants, would have nothing left in it other than wallaby grass.

If these plants were going to radically expand their distribution, then they would have done so long before European Settlement. Therefore as they did not, then their current widely spaced distribution is very likely due to our activities and hence these species have technically become weeds.

PermeateFree said:

mollwollfumble said:

buffy said:

Yeah, I saw that. I know it belongs down at Wilson’s Prom. I didn’t think it should be here.

OK.

But you don’t want to kill every Australian native that is in the process of expanding its range. If we did that, Westgate Park, solely devoted to Australian native plants, would have nothing left in it other than wallaby grass.

If these plants were going to radically expand their distribution, then they would have done so long before European Settlement. Therefore as they did not, then their current widely spaced distribution is very likely due to our activities and hence these species have technically become weeds.

> If these plants were going to radically expand their distribution, then they would have done so long before European Settlement

Perhaps so. Perhaps not. Changes in species distribution can occur very rapidly even without European intervention.

mollwollfumble said:

PermeateFree said:

mollwollfumble said:

OK.

But you don’t want to kill every Australian native that is in the process of expanding its range. If we did that, Westgate Park, solely devoted to Australian native plants, would have nothing left in it other than wallaby grass.

If these plants were going to radically expand their distribution, then they would have done so long before European Settlement. Therefore as they did not, then their current widely spaced distribution is very likely due to our activities and hence these species have technically become weeds.

> If these plants were going to radically expand their distribution, then they would have done so long before European Settlement

Perhaps so. Perhaps not. Changes in species distribution can occur very rapidly even without European intervention.

We have radically changed vast swaths of country, which has advantaged some species and disadvantaged others, more importantly we have disturbed the soils permitting easy plant colonisation, this in turn will open opportunities for dependent fauna to also invade these areas and so spread these species further. Habitat and climate change are usually the means permitting species to expand their territories, we have provided both.

PermeateFree said:

mollwollfumble said:

buffy said:

Yeah, I saw that. I know it belongs down at Wilson’s Prom. I didn’t think it should be here.

OK.

But you don’t want to kill every Australian native that is in the process of expanding its range. If we did that, Westgate Park, solely devoted to Australian native plants, would have nothing left in it other than wallaby grass.

If these plants were going to radically expand their distribution, then they would have done so long before European Settlement. Therefore as they did not, then their current widely spaced distribution is very likely due to our activities and hence these species have technically become weeds.

The most widespread native in Australia.

mollwollfumble said:

PermeateFree said:

mollwollfumble said:

OK.

But you don’t want to kill every Australian native that is in the process of expanding its range. If we did that, Westgate Park, solely devoted to Australian native plants, would have nothing left in it other than wallaby grass.

If these plants were going to radically expand their distribution, then they would have done so long before European Settlement. Therefore as they did not, then their current widely spaced distribution is very likely due to our activities and hence these species have technically become weeds.

> If these plants were going to radically expand their distribution, then they would have done so long before European Settlement

Perhaps so. Perhaps not. Changes in species distribution can occur very rapidly even without European intervention.

It is still the most widespread native tree.

I have had a lot of these grow under a large ficifolia gum in my backyard in Sunshine Vic. Obviously birds attracted by the gum tree have defecated with these plants the result. Never knew what they were, assumed a weed. Dosed with roundup got rid of them. Thanks to the forum I am now better informed

bucolic3401 said:

I have had a lot of these grow under a large ficifolia gum in my backyard in Sunshine Vic. Obviously birds attracted by the gum tree have defecated with these plants the result. Never knew what they were, assumed a weed. Dosed with roundup got rid of them. Thanks to the forum I am now better informed

If you don’t want them, then they are a weed regardless. Besides a large flowering gum is so much nicer and more rewarding, although the Pittosporum does have charms of its own.

PermeateFree said:

bucolic3401 said:

I have had a lot of these grow under a large ficifolia gum in my backyard in Sunshine Vic. Obviously birds attracted by the gum tree have defecated with these plants the result. Never knew what they were, assumed a weed. Dosed with roundup got rid of them. Thanks to the forum I am now better informed

If you don’t want them, then they are a weed regardless. Besides a large flowering gum is so much nicer and more rewarding, although the Pittosporum does have charms of its own.

They are an attractive weeping trtee if they are getting enough water. Their flowering is quite attractive and scented. The Berries are also attractive.
They do germinate quite readily after being defecated by birds.