Pittosporum daphniphylloides

Pittosporum daphniphylloides can be grown in the ground almost anywhere. This superb Asian species will seduce gardeners with its small tree-like appearance, its elegant evergreen foliage made up of large glossy leaves with a bluish sheen, as well as its pale yellow spring flowers in pleasantly fragrant clusters. Give this beautiful shrub a prime spot, perhaps at the end of a path. It will thrive in morning sun or partial shade, in well-drained garden soil that remains slightly moist in summer.

Pittosporum daphniphylloides is an evergreen shrub of the Pittosporaceae family, native to China and Taiwan. It can be found there in forests, thickets, rocky and sunny areas, deep valleys and on the slopes of hills, at altitudes ranging from 500 to 2500 m (1640 to 8202ft). Over time, it forms a small tree reaching a height of 2.75 m (9ft) with a spread of 2 m (7ft) in our climates, or more in fertile soil and milder climates. The young branches are bare and dotted with small nodules. The oldest branches are reddish-brown in colour. The leaves of this pittosporum are evergreen. They are clustered at the ends of the branches and carried by short petioles. The colour of the leaf, which is thick and leathery in texture, is a beautiful glossy green-blue on top, lighter underneath. The shape of the leaves is ovate to ovate-lanceolate, each measuring 10 to 23 cm (4 to 9in) in length and 4 to 8 cm (2 to 3in) in width.

Flowering takes place in May-June, earlier or later depending on the climate. It takes the form of small clusters or umbels measuring 4 to 6 cm (2in) in diameter, slightly hairy, composed of 3 to 7 small pale yellow flowers. These softly scented inflorescences open at the ends of the branches, as well as in the axils of the large leaves. After pollination by pollinating insects, fruits are formed that resemble round capsules measuring 6 to 10 mm (1in) in diameter, containing 10 to 23 seeds, initially red, turning black when ripe.

Hardy in well-drained soil and sheltered from the wind, Pittosporum daphniphylloides may be the hardiest of the genus. It is also one of the most ornamental, with its resemblance to a small Japanese medlar. Like the medlar, it can be acclimatised in most regions by carefully choosing its location. It can be placed in isolation or in a large shrub bed, preferably in a partially shaded position. To accompany it, consider planting, Daphniphyllums that resemble it, shrubs Buddleja delavayi or the astonishing Alchornea davidii. Unlike its famous Japanese relative Pittosporum tobira, it is not a coastal plant. According to American gardeners, this shrub, whose requirements are still little known seems to appreciate soils that do not dry out too much in summer.