PlantPeers
Back to Catalog
No image available
Rubiaceae FAMILY

Coprosma atropurpurea

Coprosma atropurpurea

Edibility
1/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub
Growth—

Requires a moist, very well-drained neutral to slightly acid soil in full sun or light shade[1]. Succeeds in most soils, so long as they are well-drained[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 quite hardy in Britain[2]. Closely related to C. pumila, and often confused with that species[2]. It hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[1, 2]. This species is often confused with C. petriei[3, 4], though it is quite distinct and does not hybridise with that species[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.

Propagation

Seed - probably best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse or cold frame[PFAF]. 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[PFAF]. 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[PFAF]. Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, autumn in a frame. Division of suckers[2]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Coprosma+atropurpurea>

Pollinators

Wind

References

  1. [1]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  2. [2]The New Plantsman. Volume 2, 1995. — Knees. S. · Royal Horticultural Society · 1995 · ISBN 1352-4186 ↩︎A quarterly magazine, it has articles on Coprosma species,
  3. [3]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  4. [4]Flora of New Zealand. — Allan. H. H. · Government Printer, Wellington. · 1961 · http://floraseries.landcareresearch.co.nz/pages/Book.aspx?fileName=Flora%201.xml · ISBN - ↩︎The standard work, in 5 volumes though only the first two are of interest to the plant project. Very good on habitats. There is also an on-line version.
  5. [5]Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. — Crowe. A. · Hodder and Stoughton · 1990 · ISBN 0-340-508302 ↩︎A very well written and illustrated book based on the authors own experiments with living on a native diet.
  6. [6]Economic Native Plants of New Zealand. — Brooker. S. G., Cambie. R. C. and Cooper. R. C. · Oxford University Press · 1991 · ISBN 0-19-558229-2 ↩︎An interesting and readable book on the useful plants of New Zealand.
  7. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎