About Coprosma ernodeoides A.Gray
Coprosma ernodeoides A.Gray is a prostrate shrub that bears narrow, shiny, tightly packed, dark-green leaves arranged in opposite pairs. Its flowers are small, with the most prominent visible features being 8–20 mm pale style branches. The species produces distinctive shiny black fruit that measure 8–13 mm in diameter. It is the only Coprosma species found on the Hawaiian islands that produces black fruit. This plant is limited to alpine areas of Maui and Hawai‘i, where it grows in a range of open alpine habitats, from lava and cinder fields to forests and shrublands. The fruit of Coprosma ernodeoides is eaten by nēnē. Native Hawaiians used the fruit of this species to make lei, the inner bark to create a yellow dye, and the fruit to create purple to black dye.
