''Coprosma'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants t ...

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Rubiaceae The Rubiaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with interpetiolar stipules a ...

. It is found in New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands,

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and e ...

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torres ...

, islands of the Pacific Ocean to Australia and the

Juan Fernández Islands The Juan Fernández Islands ( es, Archipiélago Juan Fernández) are a sparsely inhabited series of islands in the South Pacific Ocean reliant on tourism and fishing. Situated off the coast of Chile, they are composed of three main volcanic ...

Description

The name ''Coprosma'' means "smelling like dung" and refers to the smell (

methanethiol Methanethiol (also known as methyl mercaptan) is an organosulfur compound with the chemical formula . It is a colorless gas with a distinctive putrid smell. It is a natural substance found in the blood, brain and feces of animals (including humans ...

) given out by the crushed leaves of a few species. Many species are small shrubs with tiny

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

, but a few are small trees and have much larger leaves. The flowers have insignificant petals and are wind-pollinated, with long

anther The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

s and stigmas. Most species are

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproducti ...

, but some (particularly those native to New Zealand) species can sometimes have individuals with perfect flowers. Natural hybrids are common. The fruit is a non-poisonous juicy berry, most often bright orange (but can be dark red or even light blue), containing two small seeds. The orange fruit of the larger species were eaten by Māori children, and are also popular with birds. It is said that coffee can be made from the seeds, ''Coprosma'' being related to the coffee plants. A notable feature (also found in other genera of Rubiaceae) is that the leaves contain hollows in the axils of the veins; in these, and on the leaf

stipule In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole). Stipules are considered part of the anatomy of the leaf of a typical flowering plant, although in many speci ...

s, nitrogen-fixing bacteria grow. In addition the hollows, or

domatia A domatium (plural: domatia, from the Latin "domus", meaning home) is a tiny chamber that houses arthropods, produced by a plant. Ideally domatia differ from galls in that they are produced by the plant rather than being induced by their inhabi ...

, encourage certain kinds of

mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, but genetic analysis does not show clear e ...

s to take up residence, which feed on and reduce parasitic fungi which attack the leaf.

Species

*'' Coprosma acerosa'' A.Cunn. - tataraheke/sand coprosma - New Zealand (incl. Stewart Island and

Chatham Islands The Chatham Islands ( ) (Moriori: ''Rēkohu'', 'Misty Sun'; mi, Wharekauri) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island. They are administered as part of New Zealand. The archipelago consists of about te ...

) *'' Coprosma acutifolia'' Hook.f. -

Raoul Island Raoul Island (''Sunday Island'') is the largest and northernmost of the main Kermadec Islands, south south-west of 'Ata Island of Tonga and north north-east of New Zealand's North Island. It has been the source of vigorous volcanic activity ...

*'' Coprosma arborea'' Kirk - tree coprosma, mamangi - New Zealand *' Merr. & L.M.Perry - New Guinea *'' Coprosma × arcuata'' Colenso - ''C. propinqua'' × ''C. robusta'' - New Zealand North Island *'' Coprosma areolata'' Cheeseman - thin-leaved coprosma - New Zealand (incl. Stewart Island) *'' Coprosma atropurpurea'' (Cockayne & Allan) L.B.Moore - New Zealand South Island *'' Coprosma barbata'' Utteridge - New Guinea *'' Coprosma baueri'' Endl. - Norfolk Island and

Phillip Island Phillip Island ( Boonwurrung: ''Corriong'', ''Worne'' or ''Millowl'') is an Australian island about south-southeast of Melbourne, Victoria. The island is named after Governor Arthur Phillip, the first Governor of New South Wales, by explore ...

*' W.R.B.Oliv. - Pitcairn Islands *''

Coprosma bougainvilleensis ''Coprosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It is found in New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Borneo, Java, New Guinea, islands of the Pacific Ocean to Australia and the Juan Fernández Islands. Description The name ''Copros ...

'' Gideon -

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...

*' Merr. & L.M.Perry - New Guinea *'' Coprosma × buchananii'' Kirk - ''C. crassifolia'' × ''C. robusta'' - southern New Zealand North Island *' Cockayne - Chatham Islands *' W.R.B.Oliv. - New Zealand (incl. Stewart Island) *'' Coprosma ciliata'' Hook.f. - tree 7m tall - New Zealand,

Antipodes Islands The Antipodes Islands ( Maōri: Moutere Mahue; "Abandoned island") are inhospitable and uninhabited volcanic islands in subantarctic waters to the south of – and territorially part of – New Zealand. The 21 km2 archipelago lies 860 ...

*'' Coprosma colensoi'' Hook.f. - New Zealand (incl. Stewart Island) *'' Coprosma × conferta'' A.Cunn. - ''C. propinqua'' × ''C. robusta'' - New Zealand *' Fosberg - Tuha'a Pae *'' Coprosma cordicarpa'' Cantley, Spock-Koehler, and Chau - Maui *'' Coprosma crassifolia'' Colenso - stiff, red-brown branches - New Zealand *'' Coprosma crenulata'' W.R.B.Oliv. - New Zealand (incl. Stewart Island) *'' Coprosma cuneata'' Hook.f. - New Zealand South Island, Stewart Island, Antipodes Islands *' Hillebr. - Northwestern Hawaiian Islands *'' Coprosma decurva'' Heads - New Zealand *'' Coprosma depressa'' Colenso ex Hook.f. - New Zealand (incl. Stewart Island) *' W.R.B.Oliv. -

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

*'' Coprosma dodonaeifolia'' W.R.B.Oliv. -

Great Barrier Island Great Barrier Island ( mi, Aotea) lies in the outer Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand, north-east of central Auckland. With an area of it is the sixth-largest island of New Zealand and fourth-largest in the main chain. Its highest point, Mount Hobson ...

*''

Coprosma dumosa ''Coprosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It is found in New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Borneo, Java, New Guinea, islands of the Pacific Ocean to Australia and the Juan Fernández Islands. Description The name ''Copros ...

'' (Cheeseman) G.T.Jane - New Zealand *'' Coprosma elatirioides'' de Lange & A.S.Markey - New Zealand South Island *'' Coprosma elegans'' Utteridge - New Guinea *' W.R.B.Oliv. - Kauai *'' Coprosma ernodeoides'' A.Gray -

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

, Maui *'' Coprosma esulcata'' (F.Br.) Fosberg -

Marquesas Islands The Marquesas Islands (; french: Îles Marquises or ' or '; Marquesan: ' ( North Marquesan) and ' ( South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in ...

*' W.L.Wagner & Lorence - Marquesas Islands *'' Coprosma fernandeziana'' ined. -

Robinson Crusoe Island Robinson Crusoe Island ( es, Isla Róbinson Crusoe, ), formerly known as Más a Tierra (), is the second largest of the Juan Fernández Islands, situated 670 km (362 nmi; 416 mi) west of San Antonio, Chile, in the South Pacific Oc ...

*'' Coprosma foetidissima'' J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. - Stinkwood, a small New Zealand tree with foul-smelling leaves *' A.Gray - Hawaiian Islands *'' Coprosma fowerakeri'' D.A.Norton & de Lange - New Zealand South Island *'' Coprosma glabrata'' J.W.Moore -

Raiatea Raiatea or Ra'iatea ( Tahitian: ''Ra‘iātea'') is the second largest of the Society Islands, after Tahiti, in French Polynesia. The island is widely regarded as the "centre" of the eastern islands in ancient Polynesia and it is likely that the ...

*'' Coprosma × gracilicaulis'' Carse - ''C. rotundifolia'' × ''C. tenuicaulis'' - New Zealand North Island *'' Coprosma × gracilis'' A.Cunn. - ''C. lucida'' × ''C. rhamnoides'' - New Zealand North Island *''

Coprosma grandifolia ''Coprosma autumnalis'' or C. grandifolia according to earlier Colenso authority, (In Māori: kanono or raurēkau) is a native forest shrub of New Zealand. Its widespread in both the North and South Islands, and has the largest leaves of any Ne ...

'' Hook.f. kanono, a large bush with leaves 15 cm long or more; its bark contains an orange dye - New Zealand *'' Coprosma hirtella'' Labill. -

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

*'' Coprosma hookeri'' Stapf -

Sabah Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory o ...

*'' Coprosma huttoniana'' P.S.Green -

Lord Howe Island Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland P ...

*'' Coprosma inopinata'' I.Hutton & P.S.Green - Lord Howe Island *'' Coprosma intertexta'' G.Simpson - New Zealand South Island *' ( A.Gray) A.Heller - Kauai *'' Coprosma × kirkii'' Cheeseman - ''C. acerosa'' × ''C. repens'' - New Zealand North Island *'' Coprosma laevigata'' Cheeseman - Rarotonga *'' Coprosma lanceolaris'' F.Muell. - Lord Howe Island *'' Coprosma linariifolia'' ( Hook.f.) Hook.f. - mikimiki, yellow wood - New Zealand *' A.Gray -

Oahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O� ...

*''

Coprosma lucida ''Coprosma lucida'', commonly known in Māori as karamū, and also known as shiny karamu, is a shrub native to New Zealand. The shrub is found throughout the North and South Island. ''Coprosma lucida'' has stipules that narrow to a small green ...

'' J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. karamu, a small tree **''Coprosma lucida'' var. ''angustifolia'' Cheeseman - New Zealand North Island **''Coprosma lucida'' var. ''lucida'' - New Zealand (incl. Stewart Island) *''

Coprosma macrocarpa ''Coprosma macrocarpa'', also known as large-seeded coprosma and coastal karamu, is a shrub native to New Zealand. It has large thick leaves and large bright red/orange berries. ''Macrocarpa'' means "large fruit". There are two subspecies. C. m ...

'' Cheeseman large-seeded coprosma - New Zealand North Island (incl.

Three Kings Islands 3 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 3, three, or III may also refer to: * AD 3, the third year of the AD era * 3 BC, the third year before the AD era * March, the third month Books * '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 190 ...

) *' A.Gray - Hawaiian Islands *' W.L.Wagner & Lorence - Marquesas Islands *'' Coprosma microcarpa'' Hook.f. - New Zealand *'' Coprosma × molokaiensis'' H.St.John - ''C. ochracea'' × ''C. ternata'' - Molokai *' Hillebr. - Hawaii, eastern Maui *'' Coprosma moorei'' F.Muell. ex Rodway - Tasmania, Victoria *'' Coprosma myrtifolia'' Noronha - Java *'' Coprosma × neglecta'' Cheeseman - ''C. repens'' × ''C. rhamnoides'' - New Zealand North Island *'' Coprosma nephelephila'' J.Florence - Marquesas Islands *'' Coprosma niphophila'' Orchard - New Zealand South Island, New South Wales *'' Coprosma nitida'' Hook.f. - Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales *' W.R.B.Oliv. - Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales *' W.R.B.Oliv. -

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...

*'' Coprosma obconica'' Kirk **''Coprosma obconica'' subsp. ''distantia'' de Lange & R.O.Gardner - New Zealand North Island **''Coprosma obconica'' subsp. ''obconica'' - New Zealand *'' Coprosma ochracea'' W.R.B.Oliv. - Hawaiian Islands *'' Coprosma oliveri'' Fosberg - Robinson Crusoe Island *'' Coprosma papuensis'' W.R.B.Oliv. **''Coprosma papuensis'' subsp. ''discolor'' (P.Royen) R.O.Gardner - New Guinea **''Coprosma papuensis'' subsp. ''mopaensis'' R.O.Gardner - New Guinea **''Coprosma papuensis'' subsp. ''papuensis'' - New Guinea *'' Coprosma parviflora'' Hook.f. - Leafy Coprosma - New Zealand *''

Coprosma pedicellata ''Coprosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It is found in New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Borneo, Java, New Guinea, islands of the Pacific Ocean to Australia and the Juan Fernández Islands. Description The name ''Copros ...

'' Molly - New Zealand *'' Coprosma perpusilla'' Colenso **''Coprosma perpusilla'' subsp. ''perpusilla'' - Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales, New Zealand (incl. Stewart Island) **''Coprosma perpusilla'' subsp. ''subantarctica'' Orchard -

Macquarie Island Macquarie Island is an island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, about halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica. Regionally part of Oceania and politically a part of Tasmania, Australia, since 1900, it became a Tasmanian State Reserve in 197 ...

, Antipodes Islands *' A.Gray - Fiji *'' Coprosma petiolata'' Hook.f. -

Kermadec Islands The Kermadec Islands ( mi, Rangitāhua) are a subtropical island arc in the South Pacific Ocean northeast of New Zealand's North Island, and a similar distance southwest of Tonga. The islands are part of New Zealand. They are in total ar ...

*'' Coprosma petriei'' Cheeseman - mirror plant - New Zealand *'' Coprosma pilosa'' Endl. - Norfolk Island *' W.R.B.Oliv. - New Zealand South Island (incl. Stewart Island) *'' Coprosma prisca'' W.R.B.Oliv. - Lord Howe Island *''

Coprosma propinqua ''Coprosma propinqua'' is a New Zealand plant of the genus ''Coprosma'' in the family Rubiaceae. Its Māori name (in common New Zealand usage) is ''mingimingi'', a name which is also applied to closely related species such as '' C. dumosa'', '' ...

'' A.Cunn. - mingimingi **''Coprosma propinqua'' var. ''latiuscula'' Allan - New Zealand ** W.R.B.Oliv. - Chatham Islands **''Coprosma propinqua'' var. '' propinqua'' - New Zealand (incl. Stewart Island) *'' Coprosma pseudociliata'' G.T.Jane - New Zealand *'' Coprosma pseudocuneata'' W.R.B.Oliv. - New Zealand *' A.Gray - Hawaiian Islands *'' Coprosma pumila'' Hook.f. - Tasmania, Victoria *'' Coprosma putida'' C.Moore & F.Muell. - Lord Howe Island *'' Coprosma pyrifolia'' ( Hook. & Arn.) Skottsb. - Juan Fernández Islands *''

Coprosma quadrifida ''Coprosma quadrifida'' is a dioecious shrub of the family Rubiaceae native to southeastern Australia. First described as ''Canthium quadrifidum'' by Labillardiere, it was given its current name by B. L. Robinson in 1910. Typically found at damp ...

'' (Labill.) Rob. - Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales *'' Coprosma raiateensis'' J.W.Moore - Raiatea *'' Coprosma rapensis'' F.Br. - Tuha'a Pae, Pitcairn Islands *'' Coprosma repens'' A.Rich. - taupata, mirror plant - native to New Zealand, naturalized in Australia (Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales,

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

) *'' Coprosma reticulata'' J.Florence - Marquesas Islands *'' Coprosma rhamnoides'' A.Cunn. - twiggy coprosma - New Zealand (incl. Stewart Island) *' A.Gray - Hawaii *'' Coprosma rigida'' Cheeseman - New Zealand *''

Coprosma robusta Coprosma robusta, commonly known as karamu, is a flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae that is endemic to New Zealand. It can survive in many climates, but is most commonly found in coastal areas, lowland forests, or shrublands. Karamu can grow ...

'' Raoul - karamu - New Zealand, Chatham Is., naturalized in Australia (Tasmania, Victoria) *'' Coprosma rotundifolia'' A.Cunn. - New Zealand (incl. Stewart Island) *'' Coprosma rubra'' Petrie - New Zealand *'' Coprosma rugosa'' Cheeseman - needle-leaved mountain coprosma - New Zealand, Antipodes Islands *' Rech. -

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

*'' Coprosma serrulata'' Hook.f. ex Buchanan - New Zealand South Island *' J.W.Moore - Raiatea *''

Coprosma spathulata ''Coprosma spathulata'' is a shrub that is native to New Zealand. An example occurrence of this species is within the Hamilton Ecological District in the North Island within a forest dominated by ''Nothofagus'' and rimu, where understory associat ...

'' A.Cunn. **''Coprosma spathulata'' subsp. ''hikuruana'' de Lange & Heenan - New Zealand North Island **''Coprosma spathulata'' subsp. ''spathulata'' - New Zealand North Island *' Hillebr. - Maui *'' Coprosma strigulosa'' Lauterb. - Samoa *'' Coprosma sundana''

Miq. Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel (24 October 1811 – 23 January 1871) was a Dutch botanist, whose main focus of study was on the flora of the Dutch East Indies. Early life Miquel was born in Neuenhaus and studied medicine at the University of Groni ...

- Java *'' Coprosma × tadgellii'' W.R.B.Oliv. - ''C. nitida'' × ''C. nivalis'' - Victoria *'' Coprosma tahitensis'' A.Gray -

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austra ...

, Tuha'a Pae *'' Coprosma talbrockiei'' L.B.Moore & R.Mason - Victoria, New Zealand South Island *' W.L.Wagner & Lorence - Marquesas Islands *'' Coprosma tenuicaulis'' Hook. - swamp coprosma - New Zealand *'' Coprosma tenuifolia'' Cheeseman - wavy-leaved coprosma - New Zealand North Island *' W.R.B.Oliv. - Molokai *' Fosberg - Tuha'a Pae *'' Coprosma virescens'' Petrie - New Zealand *'' Coprosma waima'' A.P.Druce - New Zealand North Island *'' Coprosma waimeae'' Wawra - Kauai *'' Coprosma wallii'' Petrie - New Zealand South Island *'' Coprosma wollastonii'' Wernham **''Coprosma wollastonii'' var. ''epiphytica'' (P.Royen) R.O.Gardner - New Guinea **''Coprosma wollastonii'' var. ''novoguineensis'' ( Merr. & L.M.Perry) R.O.Gardner - New Guinea **''Coprosma wollastonii'' var. ''wollastonii'' - Sulawesi, New Guinea

References

External links

''Coprosma'' in the World Checklist of Rubiaceae

''Coprosma'' specimens and botanical drawings in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Entry in Te Ara: An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, 1966

Coprosma description: Landcare Research
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2578865 Anthospermeae Rubiaceae genera Dioecious plants