Pittosporum tenuifolium Gaertn.

Shrub or small tree to c. 8 (–10) m high. Leaves alternate; lamina oblong, ovate or elliptic to obovate, mostly 25–60 mm long, (10–) 20–40 mm wide, glossy, mid to dark green above, lighter below, thinly coriaceous, both surfaces at first sparsely pubescent then glabrescent; margin entire, usually undulate; petiole (5–) 7–12 mm long; in cultivars leaves may be smaller (lamina to 20 mm long, petiole less than 5 mm long), variegated or coloured. Flowers bisexual, solitary in axils or in small axillary cymes, salverform, scented (possibly at night time only); pedicels 2–3 mm long. Sepals free, erect, narrowly ovate to lanceolate, 3–7 mm long, pale creamy-green. Petals oblong-elliptic to oblong-obovate, 10—12 mm long, united in basal half, spreading from c. mid-way, whitish or pale pink to crimson in the basal tubular section, the free sections deep maroon to almost black. Ovary pubescent. Capsule subglobose, 12–15 mm long and wide, dark brown or black when mature, glabrous, 3-or 4-valved in Australia (Allan (1961) records only 2-valved in New Zealand), the valves gaping but not spreading or flattened. Seeds numerous, blackish, 3–5 mm long, in liquid sticky resin.

In Tasmania, mostly in shaded, moist habitats including the banks of watercourses and in wet sclerophyll forest. In New South Wales, reported from sandstone plateau edges in disturbed margins of Eucalyptus piperita shrubby woodland where growing with Banksia spinulosa, Leptospermum trinervium, Hakea laevipes and Lambertia formosa (Hosking et al. 2007).

Several cultivars of the species are grown in Australia as ornamental and hedging or screen plants. Includes forms with variegated and coloured foliage; see Cayzer (2002: 19–22) for a detailed list of cultivars.     Pittosporum tenuifolium cultivars are popular hedge plants; bottom: c. 'Silver Sheen' (left) and 'Green Pillar (right).

Can be grown by cuttings or seedlings.