Coprosma hirtella | |
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Scientific classification
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Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Gentianales |
Family: | Rubiaceae |
Genus: | Coprosma |
Species: | C. hirtella
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Binomial name | |
Coprosma hirtella |
Coprosma hirtella is a shrub in the family Rubiaceae. It is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It grows to about 2 metres high and has leaves that are between 15 and 50 mm long and 10 to 25 mm wide. [2] Plants have male and female flower clusters that appear between August and April. [2] These are followed by orange to reddish fruits that are 7 to 8 mm in diameter. [3]
The species was formally described by French botanist Jacques Labillardière in 1805, based on plant specimens collected in Tasmania. [1] It is a common plant of moist montane forests in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. [2]
The 1889 book The Useful Native Plants of Australia records "Fruit sweet, eatable, not agreeable. The fruits of other species may be eaten also." [4]