Pittosporum anomalum is one of these plants and its name reflects this growth habit, in that the word anomalum is derived from the Greek word, anomalia, meaning "unusual".
P.anomalum reaches a height of 1m, growing as a tangle of thick, dark brown hairy crisscrossing branchlets to form a neat compact shrub.
Endemic to New Zealand, this shrub naturally grows in localised areas of montane to sub alpine scrubland from central North Island to as far south as the Canterbury region.
Classed as an evergreen shrub — though somewhat hard to believe at a first glance — Pittosporum anomalum is said to have two distinctive leaf structures; juvenile and adult forms.
The small glossy green leaves appear at intervals along its tangle of stiff branchlets and tend to be narrow, with edges ranging from smooth to serrated or lobed and sometimes with noticeably dark edges.
As spring approaches, flower buds begin to form, these open by mid spring, producing a delicate display of soft cream to yellow, starry, fragrant flowers, with petals that bend backward — a common trait of many pittosporum species.
Tolerant of frost and exposed areas, this shrub would be great incorporated into a shrubbery or grown as a low maintenance, quirky shrub, planted in full sun or a semi-shaded spot.
Three specimens are flowering in the divaricate border of the Native Plant Collection.
Garden Life is produced by Dunedin Botanic Garden. For further information contact Claire Phillips.
