Pittosporum crassifolium Pot Belly - Karo
Pittosporum crassifolium Pot Belly - Karo
Pittosporum crassifolium Pot Belly
Karo, caro
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Description
Pittosporum crassifolium ‘Pot Belly’ is an evergreen shrub for mild climates, notable for its naturally rounded habit and its thick, glaucous green foliage with a silvery reverse. Compact, well-branched and extremely resistant to wind and sea spray, it can be used in coastal areas or in a large pot on a sheltered terrace. Its small size and cushion-like silhouette are perfectly suited to low hedges, clipped balls in the style of boxwood, and foliage beds.
This pittosporum belongs to the Pittosporaceae family. The type species, Pittosporum crassifolium, called karo or thick-leaved pittosporum, is an evergreen shrub or small tree native to northern New Zealand and the Kermadec Islands. It lives on coastal cliffs and dunes or at the edge of the forest.
‘Pot Belly’ is a New Zealand horticultural selection of reduced size with a naturally rounded and dense habit. In the ground or in a large pot, it reaches 1 m to 1.20 m in height and 1 to 1.20 m in width after about ten years. Its growth is fairly rapid in mild climates. The short, numerous twigs bear thick evergreen, elliptical leaves, a few centimetres long, grey-green or medium green on top. Their felted, silvery-white reverse gives the vegetation a slightly silvery hue whenever the wind lifts the foliage. From April to June, small clusters of creamy to pale yellow campanulate flowers appear, discreetly scented and loved by insects. In mild climates, they can produce small round capsules that open at the end of the season to release black seeds surrounded by a resinous substance. The branched but not running root system anchors the plant firmly in light soils. This shrub is only hardy down to -6/-8°C in well-drained soil. Once well-established in the ground, it tolerates summer drought fairly well.
In New Zealand, the type species is often used for windbreak hedges and to stabilise dunes; the seeds were once used to prepare a dark dye.
In a coastal garden, Pittosporum crassifolium ‘Pot Belly’ can be placed at the front of a shrub bed or as a standalone specimen near a pathway. Several young plants aligned will create a low hedge that outlines a path or frames a terrace. Its ball-shaped habit contrasts with the large, colourful, ribbon-like leaves of Phormium Dark Delight®, or with the slender clumps of Cordyline australis ‘Red Star’. To evoke New Zealand landscapes, you can add a very sculptural Pseudopanax ferox, along with a few Leptospermum scoparium ‘Red Damask’; their bright red flowering will be enhanced by the silvery foliage of the pittosporum from spring to summer, both in the ground and on the terrace.
Pittosporum crassifolium Pot Belly - Karo in pictures
Plant habit
Flowering
Foliage
Botanical data
Pittosporum
crassifolium
Pot Belly
Pittosporaceae
Karo, caro
Pittosporum crassifolium album, Pittosporum crassifolium var. strictum
Cultivar or hybrid, Oceania
Planting and care
Plant Pittosporum crassifolium ‘Pot Belly’ in spring, in light to clay-sandy, well-drained soil, without stagnant water in winter. It tolerates ordinary soil, neutral to slightly lime-bearing, but dislikes very compact or waterlogged soils: in very clayey soil, improve drainage with coarse sand and fine gravel. Choose a position in full sun or light partial shade, sheltered from cold winds, especially outside coastal regions. Once well established, it withstands moderate summer drought, but requires consistent watering for the first two summers, and regular watering in pots. Its hardiness is around –6/–8 °C in dry soil and sheltered situations: mulch the base and, on young plants or in cold climates, protect with fleece in case of severe frost.
Planting period
Intended location
Care
Planting & care advice
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Hardiness is the lowest winter temperature a plant can endure without suffering serious damage or even dying. However, hardiness is affected by location (a sheltered area, such as a patio), protection (winter cover) and soil type (hardiness is improved by well-drained soil).
The flowering period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions located in USDA zone 8 (France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, etc.)
It will vary according to where you live:- In zones 9 to 10 (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), flowering will occur about 2 to 4 weeks earlier.
- In zones 6 to 7 (Germany, Poland, Slovenia, and lower mountainous regions), flowering will be delayed by 2 to 3 weeks.
- In zone 5 (Central Europe, Scandinavia), blooming will be delayed by 3 to 5 weeks.
In temperate climates, pruning of spring-flowering shrubs (forsythia, spireas, etc.) should be done just after flowering.
Pruning of summer-flowering shrubs (Indian Lilac, Perovskia, etc.) can be done in winter or spring.
In cold regions as well as with frost-sensitive plants, avoid pruning too early when severe frosts may still occur.
The planting period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions located in USDA zone 8 (France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands).
It will vary according to where you live:
- In Mediterranean zones (Marseille, Madrid, Milan, etc.), autumn and winter are the best planting periods.
- In continental zones (Strasbourg, Munich, Vienna, etc.), delay planting by 2 to 3 weeks in spring and bring it forward by 2 to 4 weeks in autumn.
- In mountainous regions (the Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathians, etc.), it is best to plant in late spring (May-June) or late summer (August-September).
The harvesting period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions in USDA zone 8 (France, England, Ireland, the Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...) fruit and vegetable harvests are likely to be delayed by 3-4 weeks.
In warmer areas (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), harvesting will probably take place earlier, depending on weather conditions.
The sowing periods indicated on our website apply to countries and regions within USDA Zone 8 (France, UK, Ireland, Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...), delay any outdoor sowing by 3-4 weeks, or sow under glass.
In warmer climes (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), bring outdoor sowing forward by a few weeks.