About Coprosma nitida Hook.f.
Coprosma nitida Hook.f. is an erect, densely branching shrub in the Rubiaceae family, that grows 1 to 2 meters high. Its leaves are 5 to 15 millimeters long, narrow-ovate with a distinct midrib, a glossy leaf surface, and an entire leaf margin, and are arranged oppositely on short petioles. The ends of its branchlets are often sharpened. This species is dioecious, producing single, terminal flowers. The flowers are funnel-shaped, approximately 5 millimeters in diameter, and pale green. Flowering takes place from spring through summer, after which the plant produces round, red-orange fleshy drupes, called fruits, that measure 10 millimeters long. The genus Coprosma is distributed across Australia, New Zealand, the Hawaiian Islands, Borneo, Java, New Guinea, and the Juan Fernández Islands. This species, Coprosma nitida, is found only in the south-eastern Australian states of Tasmania, and parts of Victoria and New South Wales. Coprosma nitida most commonly grows in subalpine woodlands between 400 and 1,000 meters above sea level, in well-drained soils.
