PlantPeers
Back to Catalog
No image available
Rubiaceae FAMILY

Coprosma nitida

Coprosma nitida

Edibility
2/5
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[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[PFAF]. 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.

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+nitida>

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]Wild Food in Australia. — Cribb. A. B. and J. W. · Fontana · 1976 · ISBN 0-00-634436-4 ↩︎A very good pocket guide.
  5. [5]Plants for Human Consumption. — Kunkel. G. · Koeltz Scientific Books · 1984 · ISBN 3874292169 ↩︎An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
  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 ↩︎