Pittosporum multiflorum
Pittosporaceae
Very common
This prickly shrub, previously Citriobatus pauciflorus, has small, stiff leaves with 3‒5 small teeth near the tip. A spine, as long as or longer than the leaf, is present in the fork of each leaf. The leaves are alternate, almost round, less than 1.5 cm long and carried horizontally on the stem; young shoots are often copper-coloured.
The small, greenish-white, bell-shaped flowers, appear in spring and may go unnoticed, but they are followed in winter by obvious orange berries, 5‒10 mm in diameter, containing several pale seeds.
Orange Thorn is common on the edges of rainforest patches and within the forest, and can grow to 3 m tall.
DISTRIBUTION:
Bega area, NSW to Gladstone area, QLD
