''Coprosma moorei'', commonly known as blue matcurrant or turquoise coprosma, is a small, mat forming, prostrate shrub in the Rubiaceae family. It is native to highland areas of Tasmania and Eastern Victoria.

Taxonomy

First described by

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vict ...

in 1891 and named after Mr Thomas Bather Moore who supplied samples from the highlands of Mount Tyndall for the Nation Herbarium of Victoria.

Description

Prostrate, perennial, woody subshrub forming a mat. Stems and leaves opposite. Stems

filiform Filiform, thread or filament like, can refer to: *Filiform, a common term used in botany to describe a thread-like shape *Filiform, or filiform catheter, a medical device whose component parts or segments are all cylindrical and more or less uni ...

, 5-15 cm long and much branched. Stems rooting at

nodes In general, a node is a localized swelling (a "knot") or a point of intersection (a Vertex (graph theory), vertex). Node may refer to: In mathematics *Vertex (graph theory), a vertex in a mathematical graph *Vertex (geometry), a point where two ...

. Leaves thick, glossy, glabrous,

ovate Ovate may refer to: *Ovate (egg-shaped) leaves, tepals, or other botanical parts *Ovate, a type of prehistoric stone hand axe *Ovates, one of three ranks of membership in the Welsh Gorsedd *Vates In modern English, the nouns vates () and ovat ...

lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...

, slightly concave, with a pointed apex, 3-5mm long and 1-2.5mm wide. Flowers a creamy green or white colour. Flowers are

sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

, solitary and terminal on short branchlets. Flowers are small with petals fused to form a corolla tube, 4-5 stamens, and 2 feathery stigmas which protrude from the corolla to allow for wind pollination. Flowering from December to January. Fruit spherical, 2-seeded, blue or mauve

drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kernel'') ...

, 5mm diameter.

Distribution

''Coprosma moorei'' is found only in the highlands of Tasmania and Eastern Victoria. It can be found throughout Tasmania in sub-alpine to alpine, moist peaty heaths, and ''Sphagnum'' bogs. In Victoria ''C. moorei'' is confined to high altitude, moist peaty heaths, and ''Sphagnum'' bogs on the Baw Baw Plateau, Lake Mountain, Snowy Range, Mount Buffalo and Bogong High Plains. Coprosma moorei Dist

Ecology and reproduction

Found in wet, peaty heaths or ''Sphagnum'' bogs, in alpine or sub-alpine and montane zones from 300-1200 meters above sea level in Tasmania and Eastern Victoria. Like most members of the ''

Coprosma ''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 ...

'' genus ''C. moorei'' is wind pollinated, however, unlike most, it has bisexual flowers.

Similar species

''Coprosma moorei'' can be distinguished by its blue fruit in combination with its geographical range. ''C. moorei'' could be confused with ''C. pumila'' which has dark red or black fruit and more rounded leaves.

Cultivation

It requires a moist, well-drained soil and full sun or light shade. It can be propagated by seed, cutting or division. It succeeds in most soils with a neutral or slightly acidic pH.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15432391 moorei