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Pittosporum crassifolium
Also called Karo, Stiff Leaf Cheesewood
Stiffleaf cheesewood is a fast-growing large shrub or small tree from New Zealand with dense, leathery, grey-backed leaves that tolerate coastal wind and salt. It is a species, not a genus, and grows well in full sun in mild, coastal-type climates.
Pittosporum crassifolium, karo, stiffleaf cheesewood, kaikaro or kihiki is a relatively fast-growing large shrub or small tree with an erect, fastigiate growth habit. It is endemic to New Zealand.
This species is self-supporting with a simple form that can grow up to 10 m tall. Pittosporum crassifolium is part of the wider Pittosporaceae family, which has over 160 species in the southern hemisphere.
Karo's original distribution was generally the top half of the North Island, although now it has naturalised throughout New Zealand and overseas in Norfolk Island, Hawaii and the Isles of Scilly. This species has been recorded on iNaturalist in many other countries. The Integrated Taxonomic Information System has compiled a list of these countries which includes South Africa, Portugal, England and America. These areas where it has been found are all coastal, which has allowed this species to handle the conditions due to the natural adaptations it has.
Weeping Pittosporum · Lemonwood · Rusty Pittosporum · Desert Willow · Resin cheesewood · Tawhiwhi · Japanese cheesewood · Australian cheesewood · Cheesewood
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Pittosporum crassifolium by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
