Plant in full coastal sun or part shade, with occasional watering. Seaside tolerant. Hardy to 15-20 ° F. An attractive tall hedge or screening plant that does particularly well in cooler coastal gardens.

Pittosporum tenuifolium is native to both islands of New Zealand where it is common in the lower mountain forests from sea level up to nearly 3,000 feet. The name Pittosporum comes from the Greek words 'pitta' meaning "pitch" and 'spora' meaning "seed" in reference to the sticky seeds of many members of the genus. The specific epithet tenuifolia is from the Latin words 'tenu' meaning "slender" and 'foli' meaning "leaves" in reference to the slenderer leaves of this species. This plant was first introduced in San Francisco (as P. nigra) by sea captain James Walsh (spelled in some sources as Welsh or Welch), who returned from a trip to Australia and New Zealand (and possibly Japan) in 1865 with many plants that have been in cultivation in California ever since.

We have continuously grown this plant since 1981 and in 2020 introduced a seedling hybrid of it that we named Pittosporum 'Green Geno'. 

The information about Pittosporum tenuifolium displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant.