Common Name:

General Information

Pittosporum ralphii is an evergreen shrub with spreading branches; it can grow from 2.5 - 4 metres tall[, ].
The plant is grown as an ornamental, where it can be used to make a wind-protection hedge.

Known Hazards

This plant contains saponins[, ].
Although poisonous, saponins also have a range of medicinal applications and many saponin-rich plants are used in herbalism (particularly as emetics, expectorants and febrifuges) or as sources of raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry. Saponins are also found in a number of common foods, such as many beans.
Saponins have a quite bitter flavour and are in general poorly absorbed by the human body, so most pass through without harm. They can be removed by carefully leaching in running water. Thorough cooking, and perhaps changing the cooking water once, will also normally remove most of them. However, it is not advisable to eat large quantities of raw foods that contain saponins.
Saponins are much more toxic to many cold-blooded 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 and make them easy to catch[].

Botanical References

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Range

New Zealand - North Island.

Habitat

Lowland to lower montane forest margins and streamsides between latitudes 37° 30' south and 40°south on North Island[].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	4.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Pittosporum ralphii is native to the warm temperate climate of North Island, New Zealand. It is not very cold-hardy, tolerating occasional temperatures down to about -5°c[].
Requires a well-drained light loamy soil and a sunny position[]. Very resistant to salt-laden winds[, ].
Very amenable to pruning, plants can be cut right back into old wood if required[].
This species is closely related to Pittosporum crassifolium[, ].
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.
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

Tolerant of pruning, the plant succeeds as a windbreak hedge in severe maritime exposure[, ].

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. Poor to fair percentage[].
Basal ripewood cuttings late autumn in a cold frame[].