About Coprosma lucida var. lucida
Coprosma lucida var. lucida (Coprosma lucida) grows as a shrub or tree, reaching a maximum height of 5 to 6 metres. Compared to other Coprosma species, it has large leaves: upper leaf surfaces are dark green, while undersides are paler green, and leaf margins sometimes undulate. Mature leaves are typically 12 to 17 cm long, 3 to 5 cm wide at their widest point, and elliptical in shape, tapering at both the leaf tip and the point where the leaf connects to the petiole. The petiole, which connects the leaf to the stem, is usually 1 to 3 cm long. A short, triangular green stipule sits between each pair of opposite petioles; this green stipule distinguishes C. lucida from the similar, often co-occurring Coprosma robusta, which has a black-tipped stipule. The midrib of C. lucida leaves is very prominent, and protrudes from both the upper and lower leaf surfaces, unlike the indented upper midrib of C. robusta. Domatia, which are large leaf follicles that shelter mites to protect the leaf from pests and diseases, are typically present on the undersides of C. lucida leaves, located at the junctions of the secondary veins and the midrib. The roots and inner bark of C. lucida are yellow, unlike the dull brown inner bark of C. robusta. Unlike C. robusta and some other Coprosma species, C. lucida has no foul odour. The yellow colour of C. lucida bark comes from anthraquinones, molecules that give the tissue yellow dyeing properties. The species has short, thick branches: younger branches are green, while older branches turn brown as bark develops. C. lucida is typically dioecious, meaning individual plants are either male or female, producing only pollen or only seeds, though rare cases of monoecy (individual plants with both male and female reproductive structures) have been observed. Flowers grow on panicles that extend from the leaf axils (the points where leaf petioles meet branches) of older branches, and are white or green in colour. The plant produces small clusters of oblong fruit that range in colour from yellow-orange to orange. Each fruit holds two seeds, surrounded by an endocarp and a juicy pericarp. The peduncle, the specialized stem that holds the fruit to the branch, widens slightly where it connects to the fruit. C. lucida is endemic to New Zealand. It grows in warm temperate areas of New Zealand, most commonly in low coastal and montane forests. It occurs across both of New Zealand’s main islands, some smaller surrounding islands, and ranges as far south as Big South Cape Island, spanning a latitudinal range from 34.42°S to 46.75°S. It is rare on Stewart Island, where deer populations have drastically reduced its numbers. It has also been recorded growing in the geothermal soils of the Taupō Volcanic Zone. It is most often an understory plant, but can also be found in forest gaps, at forest margins, and in regenerating forest sites. As an understory or sub-canopy species, it is often associated with kauri forests. It has also been recorded growing as an epiphyte, including on tree ferns. It is an early successional plant that colonizes sites after disturbance events, and can grow consistently in geothermal zones. Its preference for coastal and montane habitats means it occurs at altitudes from sea level up to 1130 metres. C. lucida is a fast-growing, short-lived shrub or tree. Once mature, it produces flowers and fruit for extended parts of the year. Flowers emerge in spring, fruit begins development the following winter, and ripens the autumn after that. This means fruiting seasons often overlap between years, so a single plant can hold fruit at two different development stages at once. Overall, fruit takes around 17 months to develop after a flower is fertilized. Its seeds are dispersed by birds. C. lucida had multiple uses for Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. Its bark contains lucidin, an anthraquinone that can be used as a dye pigment. Māori also used the size of C. lucida’s fruit to assess annual forest health.
