Coprosma pumila
| Coprosma pumila | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Evergreen Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 0.3' |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Coprosma pumila
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]. Prefers a permanent moist and peaty soil, but it is not an easy plant to grow in Britain[2].
Somewhat intolerant of frost, this species is only likely to succeed outdoors in the milder areas of Britain[1]. Another report says that it is fully hardy in Britain[2].
Closely related to C. atropurpurea and often confused with that species[2]. It is a very variable plant, hybridizing freely with other members of this genus[1][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.
There is some confusion over the correct name of this species, it could be a part of C. petriei[1].
Range: Australia, New Zealand.
Habitat: Higher montane to sub-alpine grassland, North, South and Stewart Islands[3].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked. Sweet, but with little flavour[2]. The orange-red fleshy fruit is about 7mm in diameter, though forms with fruits up to 13mm have been seen[2].
The roasted seed is an excellent coffee substitute[4].
Usage: A yellow dye is obtained from the wood, it does not require a mordant[4].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Dioecious
Also Known As: C. perpusilla. Colenso. C. repens. non A.Rich.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Knees, Sabina. The New Plantsman Volume 2. Royal Horticultural Society, 1995.
- ↑ Allan, Harry. Flora of New Zealand. Government Printer Publications, 1961.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Brooker, Stanley. Economic Native Plants of New Zealand. Oxford University Press, 1991.