About Coprosma propinqua A.Cunn.
Coprosma propinqua A.Cunn. is a small-leaved shrub or tree that typically grows 3 to 6 metres tall, and sometimes reaches up to 7 m in height. It produces divaricating branches with grey bark, and the whole plant can appear almost black when viewed from a distance. Its mature leaves are dark green, thick, and shaped linear-oblong to linear-ovate; two small pits called domatia are often visible on the pale underside of the leaves. Juvenile leaves of this species are thinner and more variable in shape. Male flowers grow in axillary clusters of 1 to 4 on very short branches, while female flowers grow singly at the tips of short branchlets. This species flowers from August to September, and fruits from March to April. The fruit is a drupe up to 8 mm long, which is pale when immature and turns translucent dark blue, blue-flecked, or indigo once mature. Rarely, mature fruit can also be yellow or white. Coprosma propinqua freely hybridizes with C. robusta (karamū) and can form large, continuous hybrid swarms. Hybrids between the two species have glossy, trowel-shaped leaves 3–5 cm long, and can backcross with either parent species to produce plants with intermediate-sized leaves, some as small as 2 cm. This species is common in forests, swamps, montane scrubland, along stream banks, on stony ground, and on cliffs. It is one of the most widely distributed Coprosma species in New Zealand. The variety C. propinqua var. propinqua ranges from Mangōnui in the North Island south to Stewart Island, while C. propinqua var. martinii occurs in the Chatham Islands.
