Pittosporum, Kohuhu 'Silver Sheen'

This small tree is ubiquitous in NZ gardens as it is hardy and bushy, as well as not very woody, so a real gapfiller.
It took me s...Read Moreome years to realise that it was responsible for what seemed to be long-lasting flu episodes and head colds/coughs especially at night.. When the one in our garden died I was suddenly symptom free, and I realised that all the pollen on the car whenever it was parked, in spring and early summer, near this or any other dark-red-flowered pittosporum, instantly caused me to sneeze and cough. This still happens - just passing within a couple of metres of a flowering kohukohu starts me coughing.
Then our neighbour planted about 15 of them on our boundary fence about 6 years ago and now suddenly they are all flowering. I got a headcold, and succumbed to the pittosporum at the same time and I coughed for nearly 4 weeks straight, trying every remedy. I just lost the desire to do anything except read a bit and essential housework. I have been utterly exhausted. I remembered how it used to be but this was doubly bad. The windows had to be shut especially on a windy day or night. We will be going to the neighbours, who were away on holiday, and offering to pay to replace all the kohukohu with other NZ natives also good for close planting.
Its been an eye opener and a relief to read the comments posted here because I had never heard of this plant bugging people before. I suspect karo is nearly as bad - a similar dark-red flowered pittosporum.
I lost my sense of smell in this episode, couldn't even smell eucalyptus, but could still smell - kohukohu - a slightly fruity pungent asphalt smell especially in the early morning. My sense of smell is nearly better now.

I would implore people to avoid putting this small tree in your garden - it flowers for a long time. You might be fine but someone else could be getting quite sick from it and never connect, or the parent will never connect, the plant with what appears to be a recurrent bad cough that doesn't let up, particularly at night. Rain helps - it dampens the air down and lets you have a chance to get better.

STUNNING tree -- but OMG, that's where the allergies are coming from! I live in San Francisco's Richmond district -- 2 miles from the Pa...Read Morecific, deep in the summer fogbelt, prevailing cold summer stiff breeze that's damp...57-60 degrees most of the summer. I have a pittosporum tree (white/yellow flowers and "crenallated" med green leaves) in the back that must be 60 feet tall (I am 10' tall when I stand with my arms up, that's how I judge). It is gorgeous and I love it, but after 5 years of drought, last's year's heavy rain and this year's good (and late) ones have made it grow another 3'.
THIS IS AN ODD FACT: I have never once watered the tree. NEVER. Not in the 16 years I've lived here! And this includes during our 5 years of drought. I have to say that makes me suspect that there must be some kind of a stream or source of water very close to the surface --as I said, the western 1/4 of SF is ALL sand dunes...and we're on a hill that runs downward to the west and the north...and I know that there was, historically, as stream 6 blocks from here (learned that when an r.e. agent in a house for sale told me about the sump pumps in the basement for that house and a couple of others...so I found a historical map that showed it...)

In my 16 year history with this lovely tree, I have never seen it so full of blossoms. It seems to be a happy haven for the small birds, which I love. HOWEVER...I have been to the doc 3x now for a cough that just will not go away. I'm 60 and have never known myself to be allergic to anything -- but I had an "aha!" moment, as I looked out the window today (windows face west and breeze off Pacific -- even on a lovely day like ours -- is a bit much than I need being on the 3rd floor and directly in its path.) NOW I read that pittisporum is very allergy causing. My doc thinks that I have some odd sort of asthma (never had trouble getting a breath i my life and no history of it in my family). But I think it may be a touch of something like that -- that is being exacerbated by all those blossoms!

I have a well established mature garden with a mix of native and exotics and lots of these native plants grow from seed dispersed by bird...Read Mores. I replant them to better suit the garden and replace older trees that periodically die off.
Very easy to grow, great as fast growing infil to give privacy from neigbours. BUT, allergic reaction to them when it happends is not pleasant. The first time this happened I did not know the cause, only suspected it. Nasty case of urticaria that ruined a summer holiday with skin rash and itching that was so bad I was unable to sleep.
I did a bit of a prune of one that was in need of attention over the weekend, and forgot to wear a long sleeved shirt while doing it. Rash and itching arms today. Hope it doesn't get as bad as last time.

I am having to get rid of my Pittasporum trees/hedges on our section because everytime I prune the hedges my eyes, nose, lungs, thoat swe...Read Morell up for a couple days and make me miserable, so it me or them!