Virginia Tech Dendrology

Japanese mockorange Pittosporaceae Pittosporum tobira (Thunb.) W.T. Aiton symbol: PITO2
Leaf: Opposite or nearly so, simple, leathery, evergreen, obovate, entire, dark blue-green above and paler below, to 5 inches long, tufted at the branch tips; commonly slightly revolute and white variegated at the leaf tips.
Flower: Species is mostly dioecious (hermaphroditic flowers can occur); individual flowers with five white petals; borne in tight umbrella-shaped 2-3 inch clusters at the branch tips; fragrant and orange-scented; appearing in late spring.
Fruit: Smooth, thick, 1/2 inch leathery capsules that split along 3 sutures to reveal several sticky red, shiny seeds; ripening in the fall.
Twig: Moderate, gray-green, covered in tan fuzz; buds mostly opposite, brown and dome-shaped.
Bark: Gray-brown with warty lenticels.
Form: A dense and rounded shrub to 15 feet tall.

Additional Range Information: Pittosporum tobira is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and is not known to widely escape cultivaton. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information