Plant of the Week AAuurraannttiiccaarrppaa rrhhoommbbiiffoolliiaa Diammond Leaf Pittoosporum, White Hollywood Until recently, we would have called this tree Pittosporum rhombifolium, but in the year 2000, botanists decided that, together with another 5 species also previously included in the genus Pittosporum, it was more appropriately included in Auranticarpa (meaning “golden fruit”)1. The Diamond Laurel, Diamond Leaf Pittosporum or White Hollywood, is a small to medium rainforest tree that grows on basalt soils from the Richmond River in northern NSW to the Forty Mile Scrub National Park near the Undara Lava Tubes on the Kennedy Highway south-west of Innisfail in tropical north Queensland. White flowers in late spring and early summer are followed by spectacular displays of bright orange fruit in late summer and autumn. The specific name rhombifolia refers to the rhomboid, or diamond, shaped leaves. Butterflies are attracted to the nectar in flowers and seeds are eaten and dispersed by birds. Not surprisingly, this has become a very popular garden plant, not just in Australia but elsewhere in the world. Distribution of Auranticarpa rhombifolia in Australia. Outliers indicate trees planted in parks, gardens or as street trees. 1 Cayzer, L.W., Crisp, M.D. & Telford, I.R.H. (2000) Auranticarpa, a new genus of Pittosporaceae from northern Australia. Australian Systematic Botany 13(6): 907-909 2Society for Growing Australian Plants, Queensland Region: www.sgapqld.org.au/butterfly_attracting.pdf Map: Distribution of Auranticarpa rhombifolia, Atlas of Living Australia, http://bie.ala.org.au/species/Auranticarpa+rhombifolia Alison Downing & Kevin Downing 12.03.2012 Downing Herbarium, Department of Biological Sciences.