Book of Mediterranean Trees, Shrubs and Climbers
Index
Family
Pittosporaceae
Genus
Pittosporum [pit-TOS-por-um]
from Gr. pitte, tar and sporos, seed the latter being coated with a resinous substance
Species
tobira [to-BI-ra]
Native Japanese name
Properties
shrub
Pittosporum tobira is a species of flowering plant in the Pittosporum family known
by several common names, including Australian laurel, Japanese pittosporum, mock orange
and Japanese cheesewood. It is native to Japan, China, and Korea, but it is used
throughout the world as an ornamental plant in landscaping and as cut foliage. It is an
evergreen shrub which can reach 10 m (33 ft) tall by 3 m (10 ft) broad, and can 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 (4 in) 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. The binomial qualifier tobira
derives from the Japanese name for the plant. This shrub is a common, drought-tolerant
and fairly hardy landscaping plant. Many cultivars have been developed, including dwarf
forms and the popular 'Variegata', which has variegated leaves. It is used for hedges,
living privacy screens, and indoor and outdoor planter boxes. The stems, leaves, and
dried fruits are used in flower arrangements. The species and the cultivar 'Variegatum'
have both gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Common pests
of this plant include various aphids, mites, and leafhoppers, the cotton cushiony scale
(Icerya purchasi), and root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.). It can be attacked by the
pit-making pittosporum scale (Planchonia arabidis). It is vulnerable to the fungal plant
pathogen Erythricium salmonicolor, which causes galls and the dieback disease known as
pink limb blight.
