Japanese Pittosporum

Description:

Other names: Japanese mock-orange and Japanese cheesewood. It is a shrub which can reach several metres tall and become treelike. It can also be trimmed into a hedge. The leaves are oval in shape with edges that curl under and measure up to 10 cm in length. They are leathery, hairless, and darker and shinier on the upper surfaces. The inflorescence is a cluster of fragrant flowers occurring at the ends of branches. The flower has five white petals each about a centimetre long. The fruit is a hairy, woody capsule about 1 cm wide divided into three valves. Inside are black seeds in a bed of resinous pulp.

Habitat:

Common shrub, drought-tolerant. Coast, beach area.

Notes:

It is native to Japan but it is used throughout the world as an ornamental plant in landscaping and as cut foliage. Many cultivars have been developed, including the popular 'Variegata'.