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Common Name: Weeping Pittosporum

General Information

Pittosporum phillyreoides is an evergreen shrub that can grow up to 4.50 metres tall.
It has edible, medicinal and miscellaneous uses.

Known Hazards

This plant contains saponins[, ]. Saponins are found in many foods, such as some beans, and although they are fairly toxic to people they are poorly absorbed by the body and most pass straight through without any problem. They are also broken down if the food is thoroughly cooked for a long time. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish[].

Botanical References

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Range

Australia - New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria.

Habitat

Dry land away from the coast[]. Often in extremely dry areas[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	4.50 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a well-drained light loamy soil, succeeding in very dry soils[, ]. Requires a sunny position[]. Plants tolerate much wetter conditions in cultivation than they experience in their native habitat[].
Not very hardy in Britain, tolerating temperatures down to about -5°c[]. Plants succeed outdoors in Cornwall though they need greenhouse protection in other parts of the country[].
A slow growing plant[].
Very amenable to pruning, plants can be cut right back into old wood if required[].
The species in this genus are 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.
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[].

Edible Uses

Seed - dried and ground into a powder[, , ]. Very bitter[, , ].
A good edible gum is obtained from this plant[, ]. It oozes from wounded branches[].

Medicinal

Antispasmodic, antipruritic, galactogogue. Used in the treatment of eczema, pruritis and colds.

Other Uses

The plant contains saponins. These have the potential to be used as soap or as a bird repellent. Since they are very bitter they can be sprayed over plants that you do not want the birds to eat. The saponins are easily removed by washing or the next rain shower.
Wood - close grained, very hard. Used for turnery, cabinet making etc[].

Propagation

Seed - sow when ripe in the autumn or in late winter in a warm greenhouse[, ]. The seed usually germinates freely. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle, move the plants to a cold frame as soon as they are established and plant out late in the following spring[]. Consider giving them some protection from the cold during their first winter outdoors.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 7cm with a heel, mid summer in a frame. Poor to fair percentage[].
Basal ripewood cuttings late autumn in a cold frame[].