| Pittosporum tobira | |
|---|---|
| P. tobira used in landscaping | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Apiales |
| Family: | Pittosporaceae |
| Genus: | Pittosporum |
| Species: | P. tobira |
| Binomial name | |
| Pittosporum tobira (Thunb.) W.T.Aiton |
|
Pittosporum tobira is a species of flowering plant in the Pittosporum family known by several common names, including Japanese Pittosporum, Japanese mock-orange and Japanese cheesewood. It is native to Japan but it is used throughout the world as an ornamental plant in landscaping and as cut foliage. 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.
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.[1] It is used for hedges, living privacy screens, and indoor and outdoor planter boxes.[1] The stems, leaves, and dried fruits are used in flower arrangements.[1]
Common pests of this plant include various aphids, mites, and leafhoppers, the cotton cushiony scale (Icerya purchasi), and root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.).[1] It can be attacked by the pit-making pittosporum scale (Planchonia arabidis).[2] It is vulnerable to the fungal plant pathogen Erythricium salmonicolor, which causes galls and the dieback disease known as pink limb blight.[1]