''Coprosma'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Rubiaceae Rubiaceae () is a family (biology), 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 Petiole ( ...

. It is found in New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands,

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

, islands of the Pacific Ocean to Australia and the

Juan Fernández Islands The Juan Fernández Islands () 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 islands: Robinson Crusoe Island, R ...

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. In small amounts, it is pervasive in nature and found in certain foods, such as some n ...

) 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 Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

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

, 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 (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s and stigmas. Most species are

dioecious Dioecy ( ; ; adj. dioecious, ) is a characteristic of certain species that have distinct unisexual individuals, each producing either male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproduction is ...

, 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 (botany), petiole). They are primarily found among dicots and rare among monocots. Stipules are considered part ...

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) of two large orders, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari. However, most recent genetic analyses do not recover the two as eac ...

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

Species

*''

Coprosma acerosa ''Coprosma acerosa'', commonly called sand coprosma, is a shrub that is native to New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the Sout ...

'' A.Cunn. - coprosma - New Zealand (incl.

Stewart Island Stewart Island (, ' glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura, formerly New Leinster) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island with a la ...

and

Chatham Islands The Chatham Islands ( ; Moriori language, Moriori: , 'Misty Sun'; ) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island, administered as part of New Zealand, and consisting of about 10 islands within an approxima ...

) *''

Coprosma acutifolia ''Coprosma acutifolia'', is a shrub that is native to New Zealand, found only on 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 no ...

'' 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 activit ...

*'' 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 Norfolk Island ( , ; ) is an States and territories of Australia, external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head, New South Wales, Evans Head and a ...

and

Phillip Island Phillip Island (Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung: ''Corriong'', ''Worne'' or ''Millowl'') is an Australian island about south-southeast of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The island is named after Arthur Phillip, Governor Arthur P ...

*' W.R.B.Oliv. -

Pitcairn Islands The Pitcairn Islands ( ; Pitkern: '), officially Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, are a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the ...

*'' Coprosma bougainvilleensis'' Gideon -

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

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

Antipodes Islands The Antipodes Islands (, ) are inhospitable and uninhabited volcanic islands in subantarctic waters to the south of – and territorially part of – New Zealand. The archipelago lies to the southeast of Stewart Island / Rakiura, and to the ...

*'' 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 Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...

*'' 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 *'' Coprosma × cunninghamii'' Hook.f. *' 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, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

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

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

*'' Coprosma dumosa'' (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 Kauai (), anglicized as Kauai ( or ), is one of the main Hawaiian Islands. It has an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), making it the fourth-largest of the islands and the 21st-largest island in the United States. Kauai lies 73 m ...

*'' Coprosma ernodeoides'' A.Gray -

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

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

Marquesas Islands The Marquesas Islands ( ; or ' or ' ; Marquesan language, Marquesan: ' (North Marquesan language, North Marquesan) and ' (South Marquesan language, South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcano, volcanic islands in ...

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

Robinson Crusoe Island Robinson Crusoe Island (, ) is the second largest of the Juan Fernández Islands, situated 670 km (362 nmi; 416 mi) west of San Antonio, Chile, San Antonio, Chile, in the South Pacific Ocean. It is the more populous of the inhabit ...

*'' 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 *'' 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'' 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 Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

, Victoria,

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

*'' Coprosma hookeri'' Stapf -

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...

*'' 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 Port ...

*'' 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 Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 10,898 of a total population of 15,040. The Parliament of the Cook Islands, Coo ...

*'' Coprosma lanceolaris'' F.Muell. - Lord Howe Island *'' Coprosma linariifolia'' ( Hook.f.) Hook.f. - mikimiki, yellow wood - New Zealand *' A.Gray -

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

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

Three Kings Islands 3 (three) is a number, numeral (linguistics), numeral and numerical digit, digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cul ...

) *' 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 Molokai or Molokai ( or ; Molokaʻi dialect: Morotaʻi ) is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) at its g ...

*'' Coprosma montana'' Hillebr. - Hawaii, eastern Maui *'' Coprosma moorei'' F.Muell. ex Rodway - Tasmania, Victoria *'' Coprosma myrtifolia'' Noronha - Java *''

Coprosma neglecta ''Coprosma neglecta'' is a coastal shrub that is native to New Zealand. ''C. neglecta'' is found around the North Cape, New Zealand, North Cape of New Zealand. ''Comprosma neglecta'' grows up to 50 centimetres tall and has small, circular, gloss ...

'' Cheeseman - 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 (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, east o ...

*'' 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'' 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 a subantarctic island in the south-western Pacific Ocean, about halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica. It has been governed as a part of Tasmania, Australia, since 1880. It became a Protected areas of Tasmania, Tasmania ...

, Antipodes Islands *' A.Gray -

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

*'' Coprosma petiolata'' Hook.f. -

Kermadec Islands The Kermadec Islands ( ; ) 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 area and uninhabit ...

*'' 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'' 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'' (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 States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

) *'' Coprosma reticulata'' J.Florence - Marquesas Islands *''

Coprosma rhamnoides ''Coprosma rhamnoides'' (also known as twiggy coprosma or red-currant coprosma) is an endemic shrub in New Zealand. It forms a small shrub up to 2 m tall. The leaves are very small, simple and variable in shape. The inconspicuous flowers are uni ...

'' A.Cunn. - twiggy coprosma - New Zealand (incl. Stewart Island) *' A.Gray - Hawaii *'' Coprosma rigida'' Cheeseman - New Zealand *'' Coprosma robusta'' 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 and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

*'' Coprosma serrulata'' Hook.f. ex Buchanan - New Zealand South Island *' J.W.Moore - Raiatea *'' Coprosma spathulata'' 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. - Java *'' Coprosma × tadgellii'' W.R.B.Oliv. - ''C. nitida'' × ''C. nivalis'' - Victoria *'' Coprosma tahitensis'' A.Gray -

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...

, 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 Sulawesi ( ), also known as Celebes ( ), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the List of islands by area, world's 11th-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Min ...

, New Guinea

References

External links

''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

Multi-access key to the ''Coprosma'' of New Zealand
{{Authority control Anthospermeae Rubiaceae genera Dioecious plants Taxa named by Johann Reinhold Forster Taxa named by Georg Forster