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 displayed on this page about Pittosporum tenuifolium is based on the research we have conducted about it in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about this plant as it grows in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant have performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we have received from others and welcome hearing from anyone with information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information that will aid others to better grow it.