Coprosma lucida J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.
Coprosma australis (A.Rich.) Robinson (synonym according to Druce in Connor & Edgar 1987 p. 142)
Most similar to C. robusta, C. grandifolia and C. macrocarpa.
Coprosma robusta has dense tiny hairs over the midvein on the upper leaf surface and tiny claw-like teeth along the leaf margins, whereas the leaves of C. lucida are completely glabrous. The leaves of C. robusta are widest at mid-lamina, while the leaves of C. lucida are usually widest near the apex. The fruit of C. robusta are usually smaller, 8–9 mm long, (in C. lucida 8–12 mm long) and more numerous per inflorescence (too many to count easily in C. robusta), versus c. 9 per peduncle in C. lucida.
Coprosma grandifolia, like C. lucida has glabrous leaves, and has the midvein level raised on the upper leaf surface. The leaves of C. grandifolia are, on average larger (53–66 mm wide, rather than 31–55 mm wide in C. lucida). The most reliable difference between the two is that the stipule of C. grandifolia has low glandular teeth on the inner surface, and the stipule is angled away from the stem, whereas the stipule of C. lucida has a single apical tooth and the stipule sheaths the stem.
Coprosma macrocarpa also has glabrous leaves of about the same size as C. lucida. It differs in having stipules that become papery and then fall off, leaving only scars by about the third node from the branchlet apex, whereas in C. lucida the stipules persist.
Shrub or tree up to 3 (6) m tall; bark reddish brown; branches and branchlets stout, green becoming brown and woody with age, glabrous.
Leaves (49) 90–149 mm long, (16) 31–49 (55) mm wide, obovate, narrow-obovate, or elliptic, often widest above the mid-point of the lamina, tapering to a stout, glabrous petiole 10–30 mm long; texture thick, completely glabrous, glossy dark green above, paler below; margins sometimes wavy or distantly crenulate; midvein forming a ridge on the upper leaf surface, secondary and tertiary veins visible below and often above; domatia present.
Stipule persistent, narrowly triangular, shortly sheathing (0.5 mm high), membranous margin densely ciliate, face of stipule triangle glabrous, teeth 1–3 per stipule, the apex with a single large dark tooth, sometimes a small tooth present each side of the apical tooth. Five teeth present on the stipules of inflorescence branches.
Flowers unisexual or hermaphrodite (the flowers of each sex with vestigial or functional parts of opposite sex). Polygamy also sometimes noted (presence of unisexual flowers of both types on one plant). Flowers in axils of young leaves near branch apices. Male flowers tightly clustered and sessile at the top of a peduncle c. 10 mm long, calyx small, 4–5 toothed; corolla yellow-green, campanulate, 5.5 mm long, 5–6-lobed ×0.54 the corolla length, stamens 5–6, anthers yellow-green, 3.3–4.3 mm long. Female flowers on a peduncle c. 28 mm long, 3 ± equal clusters of 3–5 flowers, each cluster on a secondary peduncle; corolla 6 mm long, 4-lobed ×0.7 the corolla length, stigmas 2–3.
Fruit orange-red, oblong, 8–12 mm long. Seeds (5.0) 5.5–7.5 (8.3) mm long, 3.0–4.0 (4.8) mm wide.
Shrubland, forest, especially margins of forest, lowland to upper montane. Common in scrub of Kunzea and Leptospermum, on coastal cliffs, slips, cutover forest and scrub resulting from logging, but also under mature forests of kahikatea, kauri, beech, Weinmannia, and sometimes growing in light gaps created by streams or on forest margins (e.g. track and road edges through forest and scrub), then commonly with species such as Melicytus ramiflorus, Fuchsia excorticata, Aristotelia serrata, Carpodetus serratus, Coriaria arborea, Dicksonia squarrosa, Pseudopanax arboreus, and Schefflera digitata. Young plants often seen growing epiphytically, sometimes from tree fern trunks.
0–1130 (1525) m
Northland, Auckland, Gisborne (Bay of Plenty, Urewera Natl Park), Volcanic Plateau (Mt Ruapehu), Taranaki (Matamateonga, Mt Egmont), Southern North Island (Ruahine Ra., Wellington, Wairarapa), Western Nelson (Takaka, Cape Farewell, Kaihoka Lakes, Cobb Valley, Karamea), Sounds–Nelson (Picton, Kenepuru Sound), Marlborough (Woodside Creek), Westland (throughout), Canterbury (foothills, Banks Peninsula, Riccarton, Mt Algidus, Peel Forest), Otago (Dunedin, Lake Wakatipu, Hunter R.), Southland (Catlins, Nugget Point), Stewart Island (Halfmoon Bay, Rakiahua R., Codfish Island, Big South Cape Island). Northern limit at Surville Cliffs, southern limit at Big South Cape Island.
Allan HH 1961. Flora of New Zealand, Volume 1. Wellington, Government Printer.
Connor HE, Edgar E 1987. Name changes in the indigenous New Zealand Flora, 1969–1986 and Nomina Nova IV, 1983–1986. New Zealand Journal of Botany 24: 115–170.
Gardner RO 2003. Identifying the large-leaved Coprosma species (Rubiaceae). Auckland Botanical Society Journal 58 (2): 110–112.
Webb CJ, Simpson MJA 2001. Seeds of New Zealand gymnosperms and dicotyledons. Christchurch, Manuka Press.