Coprosma robusta

What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit, Seeds - coffee

The orange fruit, about 9mm long by 5mm wide, can be eaten raw or cooked and is freely borne. 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. It grows on the edge of forests and hillsides. It suits hardiness zones 8-11. Tasmania Herbarium. Arboretum Tasmania.

Australia, New Zealand*, Tasmania,

How to Identify

A shrub. It grows 3.5 m high. The branches are stout and spreading. The leaves are less glossy than Coprosma repens. They are leathery and shiny green but with a colourless border which has fine hairs. The flowers are greenish-yellow and in dense clusters. The fruit are orange-red berries.

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 mildest areas of Britain. Plants are fairly hardy in Essex according to another report, which says that they are worthy shrubs for a woodland garden. There are some 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 occasionally 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

A decoction of boiled leaves and twigs has been used to treat wounds that are slow to heal. A decoction of the leaves has also been drunk to treat kidney complaints.

Other Uses

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

Coprosma robusta, commonly known as karamū, 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. Karamū can grow to be around 6 meters (20 feet) tall, and grow leaves up to 12 centimeters (4.7 inches) long. Karamū is used for a variety of purposes in human culture. The fruit that karamū produces can be eaten, and the shoots of karamū are sometimes used for medical purposes.

Production

It is fast growing.

Notes

There are about 90 Coprosma species.

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