Cheesewood
Pittosporum viridiflorum

Family: Pittosporaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows 10-25 m high. The trunk is light grey with darker bands of cells. It is densely leafy and the leaves are leathery. The leaves are 7 cm long by 3 cm wide. There is often a notch at the tip. The flowers are in dense clusters at the top of the plant. The petals are greenish-yellow. The fruit is downy but becomes hairless when ripe. There are few seeds. They have a bright orange sticky covering over them.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in open woodland and on rocky outcrops. It can be on the edges of forests along rivers and in mountains. It grows between 1,350-2,450 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Arabia, Asia, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guinée, India, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Middle East, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, St Helena, Sudan, Swaziland, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten fresh. The leaves are sued for flavouring and as a preservative.

Edible parts

Fruit, leaves - flavouring

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Dengay seber, Gaallo, Iyoyi, Mkhwakhwa, Muchemedzambuya, Mugarambinga, Mukwenukwenu, Murambatsvina, Murunganyama, Mybandam, Nauimque, Roha, Sibhaha, Solie, Umfusamvu

Synonyms

Pittosporum abyssinicum Delile; Pittosporum fulvotomentosum Engl.; Pittosporum goetzei Engl.; Pittosporum kapiriense Cufod.; Pittosporum lanatum Hutch. & Bruce; Pittosporum lynesii Cufod.; Pittosporum mannii Hook. f.; Pittosporum mildbraedii Engl.; Pittosporum rhodesicum Cufod.; Pittosporum ripicolum J. Leonard; Pittosporum spathicalyx De Wild.;