Coprosma repens

A. Rich

Mirror plant, Looking glass plant

RubiaceaeFruit

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit

The orange fruit, about 10mm in diameter, can be eaten raw or cooked. It is sweet but has little flavour. The roasted seed is a coffee substitute said to produce an excellent cup, though the seeds are rather small.

Where to Find It

It is a warm temperate to subtropical plant. They grow near shorelines and near boulders. It can withstand wind and salt spray. It will grow in most soils and conditions. It is resistant to drought, frost and fire. It suits hardiness zones 9-11. Tasmania Herbarium.

Africa, Australia, East Africa, Hawaii, New Zealand*, North America, Pacific, Tasmania, USA, Zimbabwe,

Countries: Antigua & Barbuda, Angola, Australia, Barbados, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Benin, Bahamas, Botswana, Belize, Canada, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Micronesia, Gabon, Grenada, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Haiti, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Comoros, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, Liberia, Lesotho, Libya, Morocco, Madagascar, Marshall Islands, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Malawi, Mexico, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Nicaragua, Nauru, New Zealand, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Puerto Rico, Palau, Rwanda, Solomon Islands, Seychelles, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, El Salvador, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tuvalu, Tanzania, Uganda, United States, St Vincent, Vanuatu, Samoa, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How to Identify

A shrub. It has several stems. It grows up to 2.5 m high. The branches are stiff and spreading. They often form dense thickets. The leaves are almost rounded and leathery. They are shiny and deep green above and pale green underneath. The flowers are yellowish green. They occur in dense clusters. The fruit are orange-red. They are 6-8 mm long.

How to Grow

Requires a moist, very well-drained neutral to slightly acid soil in full sun or light shade. Succeeds in most soils. Somewhat intolerant of frost, this species is only likely to succeed outdoors in the milder areas of Britain. The purple-leafed forms are somewhat hardier and have succeeded outdoors in a sheltered spot in an Essex garden. There are several named forms, selected for their ornamental value. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus. Plants are tolerant of heavy clipping or pruning. Plants are normally dioecious, though in some species the plants produce a few flowers of the opposite sex before the main flowering and a few hermaphrodite flowers are sometimes produced. Male and female plants must usually be grown if seed is required.

Propagation: Seed is probably best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse or cold frame. Stored seed should be sown in spring in a cold frame. Germination can be slow, often taking more than 12 months even with fresh seed. Prick seedlings out into individual pots once large enough to handle. Grow plants through at least their first winter under glass before planting out in late spring or early summer, and give some cold protection during their first winter outdoors. Cuttings of mature wood from the current year's growth can be taken in autumn and rooted in a frame.

Medicinal Uses

None known.

Other Uses

A yellow dye is obtained from the wood and requires no mordant.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Coprosma repens is a species of flowering shrub or small tree of the genus Coprosma, in the family Rubiaceae, native to New Zealand. Common names include taupata, tree bedstraw, mirror bush, looking-glass bush, New Zealand laurel and shiny leaf.

Production

It is fast growing.

Notes

There are about 90 Coprosma species. It can be invasive.

Names & Synonyms

Taupata

Coprosma retusaCoprosma baueri auctSee Coprosma pumila

References (17)

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