Common Name:

General Information

Pittosporum pentandrum is a shrub or a tree sometimes growing up to 20 metres tall, though usually much smaller. The bole can be 50cm in diameter[, ].
The tree is used locally as a source of medicines and fuel. It also yields an essential oil.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

E. Asia - southern China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines.

Habitat

Thickets, slopes and seashores, at elevations up to 300 metres in southern China[]. Thickets and secondary growth forest at elevations up to 1,400 metres in the Philippines[, ].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	10.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Pittosporum species generally grow best in a sunny position, but tolerate light shade. They succeed in most well-drained soils[, ].
The tree has escaped from cultivation in Florida, where it has invaded native pine forests[].
One tree yielded 16 kilos of fruit which, after grinding and then steam distillation, yielded 210 cubic centimetres of an oil of pleasant odour[].
The fruits are quite small, and there is considerable labour involved in gathering them[].
Experiments have shown that the plant grows vigorously in cultivation[].
The flowers are fragrant[].
Although flowers usually appear to be hermaphrodite, many species of Pittosporum are functionally dioecious, with individual specimens bearing mainly or totally flowers of one sex only. Even so, occasional functionally hermaphrodite flowers will appear and, in at least some species, these flowers can be self-compatible and produce fertile seed even in the absence of any other plants of that species[].
The species in this genus are also very likely to hybridize with other members of the genus[]. When growing a species from seed it is important to ensure that the seed either comes from a known wild source, or from isolated specimens in cultivation.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

An aromatic decoction brewed from the leaves is used by women in their baths following childbirth[].

The powdered bark is used, in small doses, as a febrifuge[]. If taken in larger doses, it is considered a general antidote. It is also effective in the treatment of bronchitis and coughs[, ].

The juice of the fruit, and a decoction, have been used externally for cleansing wounds[].

The plant has been shown to contain several medically active compounds:-
The fruit yields a volatile oil, containing 1% dihydroterpene[]..
Leaves yield calcium oxalate and amygdalin[].
Stems yield amygdalin and fats[].
Two eudesmane-type sesquiterpene glycosides and the known triterpene betulin have also been shown to be present[].

Other Uses

An oil of pleasant odour is obtained from the fruits[]. The fruit can be pressed, or the oil obtained by steam distillation[]. The oil consists principally of the same dihydroterpene that is found in the higher boiling portions of the oil of the ordinary petroleum nut (Pittosporum resiniferum)[].
The fruits are about a centimetre long and contain a number of seeds[]. The fruit is small, globular, pale yellow to orange, somewhat rounded when fresh, 6 - 8mm in diameter[].

The wood is used for fuel[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe, when it germinates easily[].
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 7cm with a heel[].
Basal ripewood cuttings in a cold frame[].

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