Coprosma nitida
| Coprosma nitida | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Evergreen Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 7' |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Coprosma nitida
Propagation: Seed - probably best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse or cold frame[K]. Sow stored seed in spring in a cold frame[1]. Germination can be slow, often taking more than 12 months even when fresh seed is used[K]. When the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots. Grow on the plants for at least their first winter in a greenhouse and plant out in late spring or early summer. Give the plants some protection from the cold for their first winter outdoors[K].
Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, autumn in a frame.
Cultivation: Requires a moist, very well-drained neutral to slightly acid soil in full sun or light shade[1]. Succeeds in most soils[2].
This species is somewhat intolerant of frost, but some provenances should succeed outdoors at least in the milder areas of Britain. A specimen seen at Hilliers Arboretum in April 1999 was 1.5 metres tall. It had been planted in quite heavy dappled shade right next to the trunk of a fairly upright deciduous tree, though with a fairly open aspect to the south. It looked very healthy, though a bit drawn up, with no signs of any cold damage[K].
Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[1][2].
Plants are tolerant of heavy clipping or pruning[2].
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[2]. Male and female plants must usually be grown if seed is required.
Range: Australia - Tasmania, Victoria.
Habitat: Mountains above 750 metres, becoming very dense and low-growing at high altitudes[3].
Edibility: Fruit - raw. Sweetish but not pleasant according to one report[4]. Nice according to another[5]. The orange-red fruit is about 6mm in diameter[1][2].
The roasted seed is an excellent coffee substitute[6].
Usage: A yellow dye is obtained from the wood, it does not require a mordant[6].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Dioecious
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Knees, Sabina. The New Plantsman Volume 2. Royal Horticultural Society, 1995.
- ↑ Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Cribb, Alan and Joan Cribb. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Brooker, Stanley. Economic Native Plants of New Zealand. Oxford University Press, 1991.