Coprosma serrulata

Hook. f. ex Buch.

Rubiaceae Edible: Fruit, Seeds - coffee 413 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Compact evergreen shrub growing to 0.6m in height with persistent foliage year-round. Dioecious species requiring both male and female plants for seed production; wind-pollinated and not self-fertile. Tolerates light sandy to medium loamy well-drained soils with mildly acid to neutral pH. Can grow in semi-shade to full sun. Prefers moist conditions. Hardy to UK zone 8.

Description

A shrub. It grows 60 cm tall. Plants are separately male and female. The fruit are orange red and 8 mm across.

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Edible Uses

The orange-red fruit, about 8mm in diameter, can be eaten raw or cooked. It is sweet but has little flavour. The roasted seed makes an excellent coffee substitute.

Traditional Uses

The fruit are eaten raw or cooked. The roasted seed is used as a coffee substitute.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

None known.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It suits hardiness zones 7-10. It grows in mountain forest and grassland in New Zealand. It can grow in light shade and in best in moist soil.

Where It Grows

New Zealand,

Cultivation

Requires a moist, very well-drained neutral to slightly acid soil in full sun or light shade. Succeeds in most soils, so long as they are well-drained. Somewhat intolerant of frost, this species is only likely to succeed outdoors in the milder areas of Britain. Plants are proving to be hardy in an Essex garden. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus. Plants are normally dioecious, though in some species the plants produce a few flowers of the opposite sex before the main flowering and a few hermaphrodite flowers are sometimes produced. Male and female plants must usually be grown if seed is required.

Propagation

Seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse or cold frame. Stored seed should be sown in spring in a cold frame. Germination can be slow, often taking more than 12 months even with fresh seed. Prick seedlings out into individual pots once large enough to handle. Grow plants through at least their first winter under glass, then plant out in late spring or early summer with some cold protection for their first winter outdoors. Alternatively, take cuttings of mature wood from the current year's growth in autumn and root in a frame.