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Coprosma hirtella

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Coffee-berry
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Rubiaceae
Genus: Coprosma
Species:
C. hirtella
Binomial name
Coprosma hirtella

Coprosma hirtella, or coffee-berry,[2] is a shrub in the family Rubiaceae. It is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It grows to about 2 metres high and has leaves that are between 15 and 50 mm long and 10 to 25 mm wide.[3] Plants have male and female flower clusters that appear between August and April.[3] These are followed by orange to reddish fruits that are 7 to 8 mm in diameter.[4]

The species was formally described by French botanist Jacques Labillardière in 1805, based on plant specimens collected in Tasmania.[1] It is a common plant of moist montane forests in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.[3]

The 1889 book The Useful Native Plants of Australia records "Fruit sweet, eatable, not agreeable. The fruits of other species may be eaten also."[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Coprosma hirtella Labill". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  2. ^ "Govetts Leap Lookout: Review of environmental factors for visitor precinct upgrade" (PDF). NSW NATIONAL PARKS & WILDLIFE SERVICE. NSW Government. p. 31. Retrieved 13 February 2025. The mid-storey was highly diverse with native shrubs and includes ... Coprosma hirtella (coffee-berry).
  3. ^ a b c "Coprosma hirtella Labill". Flora of Victoria Knowledge Base. Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  4. ^ "Coprosma hirtella Labill". VicFlora - Flora of Victoria. Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  5. ^ J. H. Maiden (1889). The useful native plants of Australia : Including Tasmania. Turner and Henderson, Sydney.