Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Rubiaceae
Subfamily: Rubioideae
Tribe: Anthospermeae
Genus: Coprosma
Species: C lucida
Scientific name: Coprosma lucida
Synonym: Coprosma australis
Common name: Shiny Karamu
Coprosma lucida is a shrub or tree up to 3(6) m tall with reddish brown bark. Is has green stout branches and branchlets which become brown and woody with age. It is common throughout New Zealand in shrubland, forest, especially margins of the forest, lowland to upper montane.
The leaves are 90-149 mm long, up to 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.
The stipule is 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.
The 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 are in axils of young leaves near branch apices. Male flowers are 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 x0.54 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 x0.7 the corolla length, stigmas 2-3.
The fruit is orange-red, oblong, 8-12 mm long. The Seeds (5.0)5.5-7.5(8.3) mm long, 3.0-4.0(4.8) mm wide.
For more details visit:
http://wwwold.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/biosystematics/plants/coprosmakey/key/Coprosma/Media/Html/C_lucida.htm
The top surface of a leaf. A distinctively raised midrib is visible.
The top surface of a leaf. Note the distinctive sharp point on the leaf.
The under surface of a leaf.
Green fruit February.
Ripe fruit, March
Fruit May
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
