Coprosma crenulata
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Simplified description
Low-growing sprawling yellowish shrub with small thick narrow pairs of leaves that have are finely notched towards the tip (lens needed) inhabiting upland areas of the South and Stewart Islands. Leaves curved, wider at tip which is dented inwards, smells faintly badly when crushed. Fruit bright red.
Flower colours
Green, Yellow
Detailed description
Procumbent shrub up to 0.3 m high, with long trailing branches, bark light grey. Branchlets straw coloured, numerous, more or less tetragonous, pubescent. Leaves on short stout petioles. Stipules short, truncate, with 3 conspicuous denticles, ciliolate. Lamina thick, coriaceous, glabrous, on short stout petioles, obovate to obovate-oblong, retuse, cuneately narrowed to base, more or less 9-10 (-20) x 3-5 mm; margins thickened, minutely crenulate towards apex, slightly foetid smell when bruised. Midrib prominent below, impressed above. Flowers solitary, terminal. Male flower without calyx; corolla funnelform, approximately 6 mm long, tube approximately 4 mm long, lobes usually 5, ovate-triangular, acute; stamens usually 5. Female flower with minute calyx-teeth; corolla funnelform to tubular, cut halfway into 5 acute lobes. Drupe yellowish red, bright red, ovoid, approximately 6 mm long.
Similar taxa
Coprosma aff. colensoi (Coprosma ’decipiens’ in Landcare Coprosma Key) has leaves which are curved back at the tips but not indented, stipules each with a single denticle, and pendant flowers; it also lacks the minutely saw-edged margins towards the tip of each leaf characteristic of C. crenulata.
C. depressa has thinner, rounder leaves, and relatively large, whitish, papery stipules.
C. cheesemanii has much narrower, pointed, thinner leaves.
C. cuneata the leaves of are similar in shape to C. crenulata, but narrower, and are not as leathery; in addition, the bark is dark brown, and the stipules are triangular and hair-fringed, not 3-toothed and short as in C. crenulata.
Distribution
South and Steward Islands. From western Nelson southwards.
Habitat
Montane to subalpine 700-1400m, Often common yet rather inconspicuous in open subalpine scrub, mixed snow tussock-scrub and herbfield on permanently damp, often-peaty sites.
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2023 | Not Threatened
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Synonyms
Coprosma retusa (Hook. f.) Petrie
Taxonomic notes
In Allan (1961) Oliver, places this sp. close to C. serrulata on account of “the peculiar crenulate edges to the leaves, the dentate stipules, and the flowers”.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
January-February
Fruiting
February-June (-September)
Life cycle and dispersal
Fleshy drupes are dispersed by frugivory (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Wetland plant indicator status rating
Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
FACU: Facultative Upland
Occasionally is a hydrophyte but usually occurs in uplands (non-wetlands).
Other information
Etymology
coprosma: From the Greek kopros ‘dung’ and osme ‘smell’, referring to the foul smell of the species, literally ‘dung smell’
crenulata: From the Latin crenus ‘notch’, meaning with notches which give a leaf margin the appearance of having small rounded teeth
Manaaki Whenua Online Interactive Key
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
COPCRE
Chromosome number
2n = 44
Previous conservation statuses
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | Not Threatened
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Regional conservation statuses
The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Otago conservation status information is sourced from the “Regional conservation status of indigenous vascular plants in Otago” Jarvie S et al. (2024) report.
Otago: 2024 | Regionally Not Threatened
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Allan, H. H. 1961. Flora of New Zealand. Vol. 1. Wellington: Government Printer. pg. 573-574.
Mark, A. F. 2012. Above the Treeline: A Nature Guide to Alpine New Zealand. Craig Potton Publishing, Nelson. pg. 170.
Thorsen, M. J.; Dickinson, K. J. M.; Seddon, P. J. 2009. Seed dispersal systems in the New Zealand flora. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 11: 285-309.
Wilson, H. D., & Galloway, T. 1993. Small-leaved shrubs of New Zealand. Manuka Press. pg. 118-119.
Attribution
Description adapted by M. Ward from Allan (1961), Mark (2012), Wilson & Galloway (1993).
Some of this factsheet information is derived from Flora of New Zealand Online and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand licence.