San Marcos Growers LogoSan Marcos Growers
Home Products Purchase Gardens About Us Resources Contact Us
Nursery Closure
Search Utilities
Plant Database
Search Plant Name
Detail Search Avanced Search Go Button
Search by size, origins,
details, cultural needs
Website Search Search Website GO button
Search for any word
Site Map
Retail Locator
Plant Listings

PLANT TYPE
PLANT GEOGRAPHY
PLANT INDEX
ALL PLANT LIST
PLANT IMAGE INDEX
PLANT INTROS
SPECIALTY CROPS
NEW  2026 PLANTS

LIVE AVAILABILITY
  for JUNE


Natives at San Marcos Growers
Succulents at San Marcos Growers
 Weather Station

 
Products > Myoporum 'Compactum'
 
Myoporum 'Compactum' - Compact Myoporum

Note: This plant is no longer in stock. This is an archive page preserved for informational use.  
Image of Myoporum 'Compactum'
[2nd Image]
Habit and Cultural Information
Category: Shrub
Family: Myoporaceae (Now Scrophulariaceae)
Origin: New Zealand (Australasia)
Evergreen: Yes
Flower Color: White
Bloomtime: Summer
Synonyms: [M.laetum 'Compactum']
Parentage: (M. acuminatum cv?)
Height: 10-16 feet
Width: 6-12 feet
Exposure: Full Sun
Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs
Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F
May be Poisonous  (More Info): Yes
Myoporum 'Compactum' (Compact Myoporum) - This compact form of the Myoporum is similar to Myoporum laetum but has shorter internodes and smaller thicker leaves than Myoporum laetum 'Carsonii', the typical form of Coast Myoporum that is grown in California. Its white flowers with purple markings bloom in clusters in the summer. Plant in full sun. Irrigate little to occasionally. This selection was circulating in the California nursery trade in the late 1980s and then virtually disappeared. In 1984 San Marcos Growers planted a hedge of it around one section of our demonstration garden prior to deciding not to continue growing it due to a lack of customer interest. After numerous favorable comments regarding its tidy dense growth and lack of reseeding, we decided in 2001 to grow it once again. As with its big cousin this plant grows rapidly when given irrigation but is very drought resistant in coastal gardens once established. It can be trimmed hard and resprouts from hard wood but looks best if sheared to semi-hard wood on a regular basis (we do this annually). In 2006 in southern California Myoporum laetum and Myoporum 'Pacificum' (AKA 'South Coast') came under attack by a newly describes thrips, Klambothrips myopori, that came from coastal Eastern Australia. While this pest plagued our crops of Myoporum laetum 'Carsonii', causing us to stop producing it, this pest has not affected Myoporum 'Compacta', Myoporum 'Putah Creek' or Myoporum parvifolium. More information can also be found on our Myoporum Thrips Page

Information displayed on this page about Myoporum 'Compactum' is based on our research conducted about this plant in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about it as it has grown in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.

 
San Marcos Growers closed for regular business at the end of 2025 as the property is being developed for affordable housing.
While our gates remain closed, we will open them by appointment so we can liquidate remaining plants, supplies and equipment. The plants remaining in the field are listed on our Live Inventory Page.
 
  [MORE INFO]