No. 237. 
Pittosporum undulatum Vent. ^ 
The Pittosporum. ' ' 
(Family PITTOSPORACEyE.) 
Botanical description. Genus, Pittosporum. See Part I, p. 29 of the present 
work. 
Botanical description. Species, undulatum Ventenat, "Description des plantes 
nouvelles ou peu connues du jardin de J. M. Gels." Paris, 1800, p. 76. 
A tree, attaining in favourable situations, 40 feet, or, according to Macarthur, 60 to 90 feet, 
although in barren exposed localities it remains a shrub, quite glabrous, except a slight 
appressed pubescence on the young shoots and inflorescence. 
Leaves from oval-oblong to lanceolate, mostly 3 to 6 inches long and acuminate, flat or undulate 
on the margin, narrowed into a petiole of \ to inch, coriaceous and shining, with veins 
little conspicuous, the upper ones often almost whorled. Peduncles several, in terminal 
clusters, much shorter than the leaves, mostly bearing a simple cyme or umbel of three or 
four rather large white flowers, and one or two often one-flowered. Sepals lanceolate, 
acuminate, often connate at the base. Petals 5 to 6 lines long, spreading from the middle. 
Ovary almost sessile, hairy, the two placentas united at the base, each bearing numerous 
ovules. Capsule nearly globular, rarely attaining J inch, smooth, with thick coriaceous 
valves and numerous seeds. (B.F1. i, 111.) 
In Edwards' Botanical Register, t. 16 (1815), it is figured as " Wave-leaved 
Pittosporum," and the statement is made that it was introduced into England by Sir 
Joseph Banks as early as 1789. 
Botanical \ailie. Pittosporum, from two Greek words, signifying " pitch " 
and " seed," referring to the stickiness of the seeds. Gardeners who have to handle 
them rub them up with sand, so adhesive are they. Undulatum is from the Latin, 
and refers to the undulate or wavy character of the leaves. 
Vernacular Name. " The Pitt6sporum," par excellence, of New South 
Wales people, and why not encourage the use of the name, which seems far more in use 
than any other? I am aware that the classical pronunciation should be Pittosp6rum, 
but this seems reserved for purists. 
It used to, more or less, go under the name of " Cheesewood," because of the 
texture of the timber, but the name was somewhat far-fetched. In Smith's " Dictionary 
of Plant Names " it is called " New South Wales Box Tree," but I never heard it called 
by that name in Australia. At one time substitutes for Box (Buxus) for engraving 
