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Pittosporum angustifolium

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Weeping pittosporum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Apiales
Family: Pittosporaceae
Genus: Pittosporum
Species:
P. angustifolium
Binomial name
Pittosporum angustifolium
Synonyms[1]
List
    • Pittosporum acacioides A.Cunn.
    • Pittosporum lanceolatum A.Cunn. nom. inval., nom. nud.
    • Pittosporum longifolium Putt.
    • Pittosporum phillyraeoides var. microcarpa S.Moore orth. var.
    • Pittosporum phillyreoides var. microcarpa S.Moore
    • Pittosporum phillyreoides var. microcarpa S.Moore isonym
    • Pittosporum phylliraeoides var. microcarpa E.M.Benn. orth. var.
    • Pittosporum roeanum Putt.
    • Pittosporum salicinum Lindl. p.p.
    • Pittosporum phillyreoides auct. non DC.: Stanley, T.D. in Stanley, T.D. & Ross, E.M. (1984), Pittosporaceae. Flora of South-eastern Queensland 1
    • Pittosporum phillyreoides auct. non DC.: Bennett, E.M. in Jessop, J.P. & Toelken, H.R. (ed.) (1986), Flora of South Australia
    • Pittosporum phillyreoides auct. non DC.: Wheeler, J.R. in Marchant, N.G., Wheeler, J.R., Rye, B.L., Bennett, E.M., Lander, N.S. & Macfarlane, T.D. (1987), Pittosporaceae.
    • Pittosporum phillyreoides auct. non DC.: Makinson, R.O. in Harden, G.J. (ed.) (1992), Pittosporaceae. Flora of New South Wales
    • Pittosporum phillyreoides auct. non DC.: Walsh, N.G. & Albrecht, D.E. in Walsh, N.G. & Entwisle, T.J. (ed.) (1996), Pittosporaceae.
Flower and fruit in Port Lincoln

Pittosporum angustifolium, commonly known as butterbush, weeping pittosporum, berrigan, native willow, native apricot, western pittosporum, apricot tree, bitter bush, cattle bush or poison berry tree,[2] is a weeping shrub or tree that is endemic to mostly inland, continental Australia. It has oblong, linear or narrowly elliptic leaves, fragrant yellow to cream-coloured flowers arranged in leaf axils or on the ends of branches, and oval to spherical, yellowish capsules with dark or orange-red seeds.

Description

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Pittosporum angustifolium weeping shrub or tree up to about 10 m (33 ft) high. It has thick fissured, fibrous or flaky bark. Its leaves are arranged alternately, oblong, linear or narrowly elliptic, curved, 50–90 mm (2.0–3.5 in) long and 6–11 mm (0.24–0.43 in) wide on a petiole 5–14 mm (0.20–0.55 in) long. The flowers are dioecious, arranged singly or in small groups in leaf axils, or in clusters on the ends of branches, each flower on a pedicel 5–12 mm (0.20–0.47 in) long. Male flowers are in groups of four, with a small pistil and stamens 5.5–6.0 mm (0.22–0.24 in) long. Female flowers have an ovary about 5 mm (0.20 in) long with a short style. Flowering mostly occurs from winter to spring, and the fruit is an oval to spherical, yellowish capsule 8–14 mm (0.31–0.55 in) in diameter containing sticky, reddish-brown seeds 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long.[3][4][5][6]

Taxonomy

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Pittosporum angustifolium was first described in 1832 in the Loddiges' The Botanical Cabinet, published by William and George Loddiges.[7][8]

George Bentham combined this species and P. ligustrifolium with P. phillyreoides; however, all three were split in the 2000 revision; the true P. phillyreoides is only found in a narrow coastal strip of northwestern Australia. The weeping foliage of P. angustifolium distinguishes it from the other two taxa.[9]

Distribution and habitat

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Pittosporum angustifolium is a widespread plant found in all states of Australia apart from Tasmania and in the Northern Territory, mostly in inland Australia. It is found in mallee communities, on alluvial flats and ridges, as well as in dry woodland and on loamy, clay or sandy soils, however it is never common.[9]

Fruit

It is drought- and frost-resistant. It can survive in areas with rainfall as low as 150 mm (5.9 in) per year. A resilient desert species, individuals may live for over a hundred years.[9][10][4]

Uses

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Pittosporum angustifolium is used as an ornamental plant in the garden, prized for its weeping habit and orange fruit.[2]

Traditional/cultural use

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Indigenous Australians used parts of the plant in various ways as medicine.[11][12]

Uses varied from place to place and people to people.[2] Some ate or chewed the gum[13] that oozed from branches, while others ground seeds into flour for food. Most commonly, the leaves, seed or wood were steep in hot water and made into a poultice or a tea for medicinal uses, such as to relieve digestive issues, internal pain and cramping, combat chronic fatigue, induce lactation, treat colds, muscle sprains, eczema and other sources of itching.[2][11][12][14]

Despite being known as "native apricot", the bitter fruit is rarely considered a food source.[11]

Medical/therapeutic use

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Ongoing scientific research is being carried out internationally, and has begun to identify medically relevant biochemistry present in P. angustifolium, including anti microbial and antibacterial,[15][16] antioxidant,[17][16] antifungal,[18] anti inflammatory,[19] and galactogogue compounds.[20] The findings suggest biochemical compounds from this plant have low toxicity when consumed by humans,[16][21] and could be used to inhibit microbial and fungal growth, bring on lactation, induce apoptosis in cancer cells, protect cells against free radicals and oxidisation, and increase efficacy of commonly prescribed antibiotics; findings are consistent with traditional knowledge and uses.[20][21][15][22][19][23][17][24]

Central Queensland University conducted a long-term project to examine the potential medicinal uses of native Australian plants, in consultation with Ghungalu elder Uncle Steve Kemp, who has been providing plant materials, including P. angustifolium, for the project.[12] Cytotoxic, antioxidant and phenolic compounds have been identified, providing a strong case for the therapeutic benefits and potential cancer fighting properties of the plant.[23][22] Some cytotoxic properties have also been identified in other studies.[25][26]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Pittosporum angustifolium". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Butterbush, Woolshed Thurgoona Landcare Group, retrieved 2 May 2022
  3. ^ Cayzer, Lindy W. Kodela, Phillip G. (ed.). "Pittosporum angustifolium". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  4. ^ a b Makinson, Robert O. "Pittosporum angustifolium". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  5. ^ Walsh, Neville G.; Albrecht, David E. "Pittosporum angustifolium". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  6. ^ "Pittosporum angustifolium". Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  7. ^ "Pittosporum angustifolium". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  8. ^ Loddiges, Conrad; Loddiges, George; Loddiges, William (1832). "Pittosporum angustifolium". The Botanical Cabinet. 19. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  9. ^ a b c Cayzer, Lindy W.; Crisp, Michael D.; Telford, Ian R. H. (2000). "Revision of Pittosporum (Pittosporaceae) in Australia". Australian Systematic Botany. 13 (6). CSIRO: 845. doi:10.1071/sb99021. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  10. ^ "Pittosporum angustifolium". FloraBank. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  11. ^ a b c "Gumbi Gumbi - Pittosporum angustifolium". Tucker Bush. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  12. ^ a b c Hines, Jasmine (25 April 2022). "Gumby gumby trees and other Aboriginal medicines to be researched by CQ University". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  13. ^ Greig, Denise (1998). A Photographic Guide to Trees in Australia. New Holland. p. 128. ISBN 1864363266.
  14. ^ Marketing (30 June 2022). "Do you know about the Gumbi Gumbi tree?". TASC. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  15. ^ a b Blonk, Baxter; Cock, Ian E. (1 July 2019). "Interactive antimicrobial and toxicity profiles of Pittosporum angustifolium Lodd. extracts with conventional antimicrobials". Journal of Integrative Medicine. 17 (4): 261–272. doi:10.1016/j.joim.2019.03.006. hdl:10072/385928. ISSN 2095-4964. PMID 31000372. S2CID 109685105.
  16. ^ a b c Beh, Chau Chun; Teoh, Wen Hui (2022). "Recent Advances in the Extraction of Pittosporum angustifolium Lodd. Used in Traditional Aboriginal Medicine: A Mini Review". Nutraceuticals. 2 (2): 49–59. doi:10.3390/nutraceuticals2020004. ISSN 1661-3821.
  17. ^ a b Bäcker, Christian; Jenett-Siems, Kristina; Bodtke, Anja; Lindequist, Ulrike (2014). "Polyphenolic compounds from the leaves of Pittosporum angustifolium". Biochemical Systematics and Ecology. 55: 101–103. doi:10.1016/j.bse.2014.02.015.
  18. ^ Phan, Anh Dao Thi; Chaliha, Mridusmita; Hong, Hung Trieu; Tinggi, Ujang; Netzel, Michael E.; Sultanbawa, Yasmina (2020). "Nutritional Value and Antimicrobial Activity of Pittosporum angustifolium (Gumby Gumby), an Australian Indigenous Plant". Foods. 9 (7): 887. doi:10.3390/foods9070887. ISSN 2304-8158. PMC 7404462. PMID 32640660.
  19. ^ a b Agatonovic-Kustrin, Snezana; Gegechkori, Vladimir; Morton, David W. (21 June 2021). "The effect of extractive lacto-fermentation on the bioactivity and natural products content of Pittosporum angustifolium (gumbi gumbi) extracts". Journal of Chromatography A. 1647: 462153. doi:10.1016/j.chroma.2021.462153. ISSN 0021-9673. PMID 33957349. S2CID 233982731.
  20. ^ a b Sadgrove, Nicholas John; Jones, Graham Lloyd (13 February 2013). "Chemical and biological characterisation of solvent extracts and essential oils from leaves and fruit of two Australian species of Pittosporum (Pittosporaceae) used in aboriginal medicinal practice". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 145 (3): 813–821. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2012.12.019. ISSN 0378-8741. PMID 23274743.
  21. ^ a b Jones, GL (2014). "The Biological Activity of Molecular Components from Pittosporum angustifolium is Consistent with its Use in Traditional Aboriginal Medicine". University of New England, Armidale, Australia.
  22. ^ a b Mani, Janice S.; Johnson, Joel B.; Hosking, Holly; Ashwath, Nanjappa; Walsh, Kerry B.; Neilsen, Paul M.; Broszczak, Daniel A.; Naiker, Mani (25 March 2021). "Antioxidative and therapeutic potential of selected Australian plants: A review". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 268: 113580. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2020.113580. ISSN 0378-8741. PMID 33189842. S2CID 226973440.
  23. ^ a b Mani, Janice; Johnson, Joel; Hosking, Holly; Walsh, Kerry; Neilsen, Paul; Naiker, Mani (1 March 2022). "In vitro Cytotoxic Properties of Crude Polar Extracts of Plants Sourced from Australia". Clinical Complementary Medicine and Pharmacology. 2 (1): 100022. doi:10.1016/j.ccmp.2022.100022. ISSN 2772-3712. S2CID 247152260.
  24. ^ Patil, Anuja (2018). "UQ eSpace". espace.library.uq.edu.au. doi:10.14264/uql.2018.838. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  25. ^ Bäcker, Christian; Drwal, Malgorzata N.; Preissner, Robert; Lindequist, Ulrike (1 April 2016). "Inhibition of DNA–Topoisomerase I by Acylated Triterpene Saponins from Pittosporum angustifolium Lodd". Natural Products and Bioprospecting. 6 (2): 141–147. doi:10.1007/s13659-016-0087-5. ISSN 2192-2209. PMC 4805651. PMID 26803837.
  26. ^ Bäcker, Christian; Jenett-Siems, Kristina; Siems, Karsten; Wurster, Martina; Bodtke, Anja; Lindequist, Ulrike (1 June 2014). "Cytotoxic Saponins from the Seeds of Pittosporum angustifolium". Zeitschrift für Naturforschung C. 69 (5–6): 191–198. doi:10.5560/znc.2014-0011. ISSN 1865-7125. PMID 25069157. S2CID 4650274.
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