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  4. Coprosma grandifolia

Coprosma grandifolia

Leaf of Coprosma grandifolia.<br>Photographer: Wayne Bennett, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Stipule. Stokes Valley, Lower Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 05/06/2006, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Stokes Valley, Lower Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 12/03/2004, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Maidstone Park, Upper Huttt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 05/09/2004, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Boulder Hill, Belmont Regional Park.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 02/07/2005, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Coprosma grandifolia.<br>Photographer: Wayne Bennett, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Coprosma grandifolia (female).<br>Photographer: Wayne Bennett, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Stokes Valley, Lower Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 12/03/2004, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Stminate flowers. Silverstream, Upper Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 06/04/2005, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Maidstone Park, Upper Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 04/05/2013, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Staminate flowers. Holdsworth, Tararua Range.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 02/04/2015, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
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Common names

kanono, manono, large-leaved coprosma, raurekau

Biostatus

Native – Endemic taxon

Category

Vascular

Structural class

Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons

Simplified description

Large shrub with pairs of thin wavy, mottled leaves. Leaves to 20cm long, oval, pointed, with small pits at junction of veins. Sharp dark point on stem between pairs of leaves. Fruit orange to red, on obvious stalks in open clusters.

Flower colours

Green, White

Detailed description

Shrub or small tree up to c. 6 m tall; plants much branched from base or with single trunk; branches and branchlets glabrous, smooth, under bark green. Interpetiolar stipules conspicuous, broadly deltoid, then tapering, apex with 2 porminent darkly pigmented denticles, glabrous. Leaves on smooth glabrous petioles 20-30 mm long; Lamina (100-)150-300 × (50-)70-100 mm, broadly elliptic to obovate, apex subacute or apiculate, base gradually narrowed to petiole; membranous to sub-coriaceous, adaxially dull glossy green or green mottled with maroon or purple, abaxially paler, margins flat or weakly undulose waved, rarely finely crenulate; venation prominent, reticulations conspicuous on both leaf surfaces, fine and close-set. Flowers in clusters on trichotomously branched peduncles up to 80 m. long. Male flowers with 4-5-toothed cupular calyx; corolla narrow-funnelform, lobes usually 5, acute, < tube; stamens us. 5. Female flowers usually with small stipulate bracts at axils of branches; calyx-teeth 5, small, acute; corolla tubular, lobes 5, narrow-triangular, acute, ± the same length as tube. Drupe reddish orange, oblong, 7-9 mm. long

Similar taxa

Easily distinguished by the very large, broad, yellow-green leaves which are variously mottled with dark green or purple, and have prominent leaf “drip-tips”, and by the very large, entirely glandular leaf stipules - seen otherwise only in the very different looking Coprosma waima. It also differs from all of the other similar large-leaved species by its usually autumnal flowering pattern.

Distribution

Endemic. North to South Islands. In the South Island extending to Lake Ianthe in the west and the Marlborough Sounds in the east.

Habitat

Common in the understorey of forest, and in sheltered shady sites from the coast to montane and cloud forest. In areas of high rainfall can be a major component of shrublands, and within regenerating forest. Often common along the margins of logging tracks and roads.

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

Jump to previous conservation statuses

Detailed taxonomy

Family

Rubiaceae

Authority

Coprosma grandifolia Hook.f.

Synonyms

Coprosma autumnalis Colenso

Taxonomic notes

For at least the last 30 years this Coprosma was known in New Zealand by the name Coprosma grandifolia. Recently Large et al. (2020) have shown that Coprosma grandifolia is a superfluous name for C. lucida J.R.Forst. et G.Forst. because it includes the type of Ronabea australis A. Rich. (Coprosma australis (A.Rich.) B.L.Rob.), necessitating the reinstatement of Coprosma autumnalis Colenso for the plant known to iwi as kanono. Therefore the name Coprosma autumnalis Colenso with an unequivocal type was reinstated, and this view was accepted by the Spermatophyte Subcommittee of the ICN (Applequist 2023) until another vote was pushed to reject that name, reinstate C. grandifolia as a conserved name, with a new conserved type following the proposal of Perrie (2021). Unfortunately this view, narrowly accepted by the Spermatophyte subcommittee has been favoured. So Coprosma grandifolia is again in use for this plant.

Endemic taxon

Yes

Endemic genus

No

Endemic family

No

Ecology

Flowering

(March-) April (-June) but may also occasionally flower in September.

Fruiting

(September-) October-January (-April)

Propagation technique

Very easy from fresh seed. Also easy from semi-hardwood cuttings. Prefers a shaded site in damp soil but will tolerate most garden situations.

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’

grandifolia: Big leaved

Manaaki Whenua Online Interactive Key

Key to Coprosma species of New Zealand

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.

COPGRA

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

Jump to current conservation status

Regional conservation statuses

Auckland: 2025 | Regionally Not Threatened | Qualifiers: DPS, DPT

The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Auckland conservation status information is sourced from the “Conservation status of vascular plant species in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland” Simpkins E et al. (2025) report.

Referencing and citations

References and further reading

Allan, H.H. 1961: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. I. Government Printer, Wellington.

Applequist, W.L. 2023: Report of the Nomenclature Committee for Vascular Plants: 74. Taxon 72: 908−922. https://doi.org/10.1002.tax.12993Applequist, W.L. 2023: Report of the Nomenclature Committee for Vascular Plants: 74. Taxon 72: 908−922. https://doi.org/10.1002.tax.12993

Large, M.F.; Mabberly, D.J.; Wood, E. 2020: Coprosma autumnalis (kanono; Rubiaceae) in New Zealand: nomenclature, iconography and phenology, Kew Bulletin 75: 37-43. DOI 10.1007/S12225-020-9876-4

Perrie, L.R. 2021: Proposal to conserve the name Coprosma grandifolia (Rubiaceae) with a conserved type. Taxon 70(1): 211.

Attribution

Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (30 August 2005). Description adapted from Allan (1961).

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.

NZPCN Fact Sheet citation

Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Coprosma grandifolia Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/coprosma-grandifolia/ (Date website was queried)

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