Foliage Like Variegated Pittosporum
Variegated pittosporum (Pittosporum tobira varieties), hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 or 9 through 10, based on the particular variety, is an evergreen shrub known for its alternate, oval-shaped foliage, which remains a lustrous green during the year. The numerous variegated varieties include “Variegatum” (Pittosporum tobira “Variegatum”), which includes white leaf edges and can be hardy in USDA zones 9 through 10. Since Pittosporum is a huge genus, plants which look like a single variegated pittosporum species or variety may well be another type of pittosporum. Similar plants also are in other genera.
False Holly
Some variegated forms of tea olive (Osmanthus spp.) Feature shiny, white-edged, rounded leaves. One of them are the “Variegatus” variety of holly tea olive (Osmanthus heterophyllus “Variegatus”), hardy in USDA zones 7 through 9. Its juvenile leaves may be spiny, however, the adult leaves assume that a pittosporumlike oval shape. Another false holly with variegated leaves is that the “Variegatus” variety of fortune’s osmanthus (Osmanthus x fortunei “Variegatus”), hardy in USDA zones 7 through 9. In addition, it includes adult leaves that are shiny, green, white and oval-shaped.
Variegated Euonymus
Some forms of evergreen euonymus (Euonymus spp.) also resemble variegated pittosporum. Possibly the most prominent is Japanese euonymus (Euonymus japonicus), hardy in USDA zones 6 or 7 through 9, based on the variety. The “Albomarginatus” cultivar (Euonymus japonica “Albomarginatus”), hardy in USDA zones 7 through 9, attributes rounded, shiny, green leaves edged in white. Although typically grown as a ground cover, either erect or semi-erect forms of wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei), hardy in USDA zones 4 or 5 through 8 or 9, depending on the variety, also resemble variegated pittosporum. The cultivar “Ivory Jade” (Euonymus fortunei “Ivory Jade”), hardy in USDA zones 4 through 9, is 1 example.
Variegated Gardenia
Another evergreen with variegated leaves much like these variegated pittosporum is a white-edged assortment of gardenia referred to as “Variegata” (Gardenia jasminoides “Variegata”), hardy in USDA zones 8 through 11. Several gardenias feature shiny, green leaves, but “Variegata” leaves have cream-colored edges. Its leaves are opposite instead of alternate on the stems and also may be a little more elongated than those of pittosporum, but they still bear a definite resemblance. Like variegated pittosporum, the “Variegata” gardenia features scented flowers and grows into a rounded tree.
Pittosporum Considerations
The “Garnettii” pittosporum hybrid (Pittosporum “Garnettii”), hardy in USDA zones 9 through 10, is a variegated variety that bears some resemblance to variegated varieties of Japanese pittosporum, such as “Variegatum.” The leaves are alternate, as are people of “Variegatum,” however a little less rounded. Both feature cream or white leaf variegation. Numerous variegated cultivars are made from the 200 Pittosporum species. Finding shut matches among variegated pittosporum varieties, or between a variegated pittosporum and a different variegated evergreen, would require identifying the particular variety to be matched.