Pittosporum daphniphylloides var. adaphniphylloides

Summary

An evergreen shrub or sometimes a tree up to about 30 ft tall, it features dark green, narrowly oblong to narrowly obovate leaves 2.5–8 in long and 1.25–3.5 in wide with a stalk of 0.625–1.25 in; flowers are greenish yellow, about 1/4 in across, arranged in several globose umbellate clusters forming a terminal panicle, with main and secondary stalks harshly hairy, petals oblong and blunt, about 1/4 in, and yellow anthers; fruits are globose, 1/4–3/8 in wide, wrinkled and red. Native to western Sichuan, China, it grows in woods, thickets, and rocky places at elevations 500–2500 m and can exhibit rapid growth under favorable conditions, with USDA Hardiness Zone 8.

In cultivation, it is the mainland Chinese representative of the species, noted for thick leaf blades; flowering occurs March–June and fruiting June–December. Notable cultivated specimens include a very large-leaved tree at Caerhays, Cornwall (about 11 ft high, 24 ft spread) and another in Warley, Essex bearing berries in November 1934.

Lifecycle

Biennial, Perennial

Height

6.5-26.5 feet

Spread

24 ft

Hardiness Zones

Zones 8

Soil Type

Rocky soil

Bloom Color

Yellow to Greenish Yellow

Bloom Time

Spring

Foliage Color

Dark green foliage with dark green upper surface and pale green beneath.

Fall Foliage Color

No fall foliage color

Leaf Lifecycle

Evergreen broadleaf

Growth Rate

Up to 1 m/year

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter