Coprosma foetidissima
Coprosma foetidissima
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
Requires a moist, very well-drained neutral to slightly acid soil in full sun or light shade[1]. Succeeds in most soils[2]. Somewhat intolerant of frost, this species is only likely to succeed outdoors in the milder areas of Britain[1]. The plants are reasonably hardy in Essex[2]. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[1, 2]. Plants are tolerant of heavy clipping or pruning[2]. The crushed leaves have a repellent smell that is said to have the odour of dung[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. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Coprosma+foetidissima>
Pollinators
Wind
References
- [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]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]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.
- [4]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.
- [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎