Common Name:

General Information

Pittosporum napaulense is an evergreen shrub or a tree, usually growing around 6 - 10 metres tall but occasionally reaching up to 20 metres. The plant is sometimes epiphytic and occasionally adopts a more climbing habit[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for medicinal use. It is grown as an ornamental[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

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Range

E. Asia - Himalayan regions of southern China (Xizang, Yunnan), Pakistan, northern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, ?Myanmar

Habitat

Warm, evergreen, broadleaved forests; at elevations from 400 - 2,000 metres[, ].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	6.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant is grown as an ornamental in the Pacific states of USA[].
Pittosporum species generally grow best in a sunny position, but tolerate light shade. They succeed in most well-drained soils[, ].
The yellow flowers are sweetly 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

The bark is antidote, aromatic, bitter, expectorant, febrifuge and narcotic[]. It is used in the treatment of snakebites and as an expectorant to treat bronchitis[].

An essential oil obtained from the plant (part not specified, but either the flowers or the gum-resin) is alterative, stimulant and tonic[]. It is considered to be specific for the treatment of certain skin diseases, and is taken internally to treat cutaneous diseases, secondary syphilis, chronic rheumatism and leprosy[].
It is also used locally to treat conditions such as rheumatism, chest affections, phthisis, ophthalmia, sprains, bruises, sciatica and leprosy[].

Other Uses

None known

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[].
Basal ripewood cuttings late autumn in a cold frame[].