Coprosma repens < Species index > Coprosma robusta
This article was first published in the Tararua Tramper Volume 93, # 4, May 2021
May in the hills with Chris Horne, Michele Dickson
Coprosma rhamnoides, mingimingi, mikimiki, Twiggy coprosma
Coprosma rhamnoides, mingimingi, mikimiki, Twiggy coprosma
Photo: Jeremy Rolfe
Origin of the botanical names
‘Coprosma’ is derived from the Greek words ‘kopros’ meaning ‘dung’ and ‘osme’ meaning ‘smell’, because one Coprosma species in particular has an unpleasant smell; ‘rhamnoides’ comes from the Greek name of a thorny shrub, ‘Rhamnos’; ‘oides’ means ‘resembling’. C. rhamnoides is in the same genus as the species of Coprosma described in the last five issues of the Tramper. Note that the Te Reo names are also applied to some other species with small narrow leaves. The Coprosma genus is a member of the coffee family, the Rubiaceae.
Distribution and habitat
C. rhamnoides is endemic to Aotearoa. It grows on Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands, Te Ika a Māui / North Island, Te Waipounamu / South Island and Rakiura / Stewart Island. Look for it in lowland to lower montane forest and shrubland throughout its range. It grows in a wide range of sites, from shaded, sheltered sites to sites exposed to severe gales where it forms dense shrubby hummocks with wind-shorn shapes. Of the thirty or so small-leaved Coprosma species, this is the most common one in these plant communities.
Growth habit
Coprosma rhamnoides is a shrub 1–2 m tall with reddish-brown bark. The branches are stiff, rather slender and divaricate * / entangled, with finely hairy branchlets. The leaves, 7-12 x 4-14 mm, are often in bunches on short branchlets. The leaf stalks / petioles are 1-3 mm long and hairy. The tiny stipules between the leaves have conspicuous pointed tips. The leaves may range from somewhat leathery to thin. Their shape varies from very narrow to egg-shaped, attached at the broad end. You will find this variability on one plant helpful when trying to identify this species. The veins are obvious on the underside. * See the possible reasons for this divaricate form in the article on C. propinqua in the March 2021 Tramper.
Reproduction
The flowers develop on the end of short branchlets. The females are solitary; the males are solitary or there are two to four together. Female flowers and male flowers grow on separate plants. This phenomenon is common in Aotearoa’s plant genera. It is called ‘dioecy’, hence ‘dioecious’, from the Greek words meaning ‘two homes’. The fruit which appears in late summer on the female form of the plant is 3-4 mm in diameter. It ranges from dark crimson to almost black. Birds eat the fruit and disperse the seeds. Sample the fruit once you’ve identified the plant.
Uses
The berries are edible but their small size means that they don’t provide a meal. Research early last century found that the bark of Coprosma rhamnoides produced a durable orange dye for wool.
Where can you find Coprosma rhamnoides?
Look for this species in reserves in Wellington city and in the Tararua, Remutaka and Aorangi ranges.
[Ed: Publication of In the Hills in the April issue of the Tramper marked 10 years of regular monthly publication of the series of articles (originally titled In the forest) written and contributed by Chris Horne, Barbara Mitcalfe and Michele Dickson. See In the Hills for more information.
In The Hills 2021-04 < Index chronological > In The Hills 2021-06