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PITTOSPORA (Pittosporum tenuifolium)
Key: In two minds
This tree is native to the forests between the mountains and the sea of New Zealand’s coastline. It can be found in Britain where the winter’s are mild. Pittespora can grow to 33ft (10m) in a neat, compact, broadly columnar form. The leaves are evergreen with glossy surfaces and a characteristic pronounced wavy margin. It flowers in late spring with small waxy, fragrant deep red-purple petals and bright yellow anthers. Except on the variegated varieties, the flowers can be inconspicuous from a distance.
Pittospora brings clarity of perception and clarity of mind. It gives the ability to see the truth from a broader viewpoint and to act on it in an orderly, organised way.
When one is “in two minds” and unable to determine where loyalties lie, this essence helps to clarify how we really feel. This releases pressure from the Kidney meridian and also balances the spiritual body.
The clarity and creativity at the finer levels of the self helps to relax anxieties, over-seriousness and lack of humour.
With the new, clearer perspective it is easier to explore what one is really about at a core level. This increases the sense of purpose, mental peace and encourages a truly individual way to be alive.
Signature: The red/purple and yellow flowers suggest the balance of energy between the head(purple) and gut (yellow) levels of reaction. The flowers sit close to the leaf axils, between leaf and stem, and therefore are between two different forms of expression. Just as the tree itself grows in the area between mountains and sea. Hesitancy is suggested by the strongly wavy leaf edges.
Comment: Pittospora is quite a common garden and park tree in the South West of England as the climate tends towards milder winters. It can also be found in Ireland and southern England.