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Coprosma

Coprosma decurva

Not Threatened

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Coprosma decurva is a divaricating, small-leaved shrub 1 to 3 m tall, endemic to New Zealand. It is usually recognisable by its pale grey, strongly arched and downward-curving branches, coarse white hairs on the young twigs, and tiny oblong leaves 3 to 8 mm long with rounded bases. Female plants carry many small bright red fruits with orange flesh. It was only formally described by Michael Heads in 1998, having been included under Coprosma parviflora until then. It occurs in the North, South and Stewart Islands, with a distribution that is disjunct along the Alpine Fault, and is ranked Not Threatened. Explore more native shrubs in our native plant guide.

Coprosma (Coprosma decurva) in its natural habitat
Image credit: Coprosma (Coprosma decurva) - photo by Wikipedia contributors, via Wikipedia

Plant Description

Coprosma decurva is a divaricating shrub 1 to 3 m tall. Its long shoots grow in modules whose tips usually abort after 5 to 10 cm, and in open sites the branches are often conspicuously arched and curved downwards. The bark is pale grey or brown, smooth or ridged, and the final branchlets are hairy; NZPCN describes the twigs as fuzzy grey, becoming orange towards the base. Short side shoots (brachyblasts) carry clusters of leaf pairs, and the leaves at the tips of twigs are usually much smaller.

The leaves are hairless, usually pale green on both sides but often pale or darker brown, oblong or narrow-oblong, 3 to 8 mm long (occasionally 10 mm) and 1 to 1.5 mm wide (up to 3 mm). The tip is rounded with a minute tuft or rim of hairs, the base is rounded, and the margins are often slightly thickened and reddish. There may be up to three small hairy domatia beneath. Male and female flowers are on separate plants; both are tiny and bell-shaped, the female with two long style arms. The fruit is a globose drupe 5 to 7 mm long with red skin and orange flesh, usually containing two seeds.

Heads (1998) distinguished it from related species, especially C. parviflora under which it was formerly included, by its decurved branches, oblong leaves with rounded rather than wedge-shaped bases, bright red fruits, distinctive flavonoid chemistry and chromosome number of 2n = 44. Dense, coarse, white, appressed hairs on young branches are another useful field character.

Quick Facts

Coprosma decurva quick facts
Scientific Name Coprosma decurva
Height 1-3 m
Spread Not recorded; a bushy, wide-angled shrub
Water Needs Moderate
Light Full sun to partial shade; more open and arching in sun
Frost Tolerance Good; ranges south to Stewart Island
Salt Tolerance No information available
Growth Rate Slow to moderate
Lifespan Long-lived perennial shrub

Climate Best Suited to

It suits cool, moist temperate climates from Taranaki and the southern North Island ranges to Nelson, the West Coast, Otago and Stewart Island.

Regional Suitability

City suitability for Coprosma decurva
City Climate Suitability
Auckland Low
Wellington Medium
Christchurch Medium
Dunedin High

Plant Habitat

Heads (1998) described Coprosma decurva from the North, South and Stewart Islands, noting that its distribution is disjunct along the Alpine Fault. Research-grade iNaturalist observations come from Egmont National Park in Taranaki, the Ruahine, Tararua and Remutaka ranges, Nelson and Tasman (including Kahurangi and Nelson Lakes national parks and Mount Richmond Forest Park), Marlborough, the West Coast, Mount Cargill and Mihiwaka near Dunedin, the Catlins and Stewart Island/Rakiura.

Detailed habitat information was not found in the sources consulted. Heads' description refers to plants in both open sites, where the branches become strongly decurved, and shaded sites, where shoot tips may continue growing, indicating it grows in both open shrubland and shaded conditions.

Growing Requirements

Soil Requirements

Specific soil preferences are not documented. In cultivation, small-leaved Coprosma generally do well in ordinary free-draining garden soil.

  • Free-draining soil
  • Moderate fertility
  • Mulch to keep roots cool

Light Requirements

It grows in both open and shaded sites, but its characteristic arching, decurved form develops best in the open.

  • Full sun for the best form and fruiting
  • Tolerates partial shade

Water Requirements

Its range lies mainly in moist, high-rainfall districts.

  • Water young plants during dry spells
  • Established plants need little extra watering in moist climates

Planting and Establishing

Coprosma decurva is not widely sold, but specialist native nurseries sometimes stock divaricating Coprosma species. Plant it in an open position where its arching branches have room to develop.

To get the red fruit, plant female and male plants near each other. It is best suited to cooler gardens in the southern North Island and the South Island.

Ecological Role

Its fleshy red fruits are dispersed by fruit-eating animals, according to NZPCN citing Thorsen et al. (2009). Small, bright fruits displayed on a tangled divaricating frame are typical of many New Zealand shrubs eaten by birds and lizards.

As in most Coprosma, the small flowers with long styles and stamens on separate male and female plants suggest wind pollination. The dense interlacing branches also provide shelter for small birds and invertebrates.

Uses & Significance

Garden Uses

A good choice for native habitat gardens where a fine-textured, fruiting shrub is wanted.

  • Bird and lizard-friendly plantings
  • Informal hedges and shelter in cool districts
  • Collections of divaricating shrubs

Ecological Value

It provides fruit and dense shelter in the shrublands and ranges where it grows.

  • Abundant small red fruits for frugivores
  • Dense divaricating structure for shelter
  • Part of New Zealand's distinctive divaricating shrub flora

Landscaping Uses

With its pale arching branches and tiny leaves, Coprosma decurva gives a see-through, wiry silhouette that contrasts well with broad-leaved shrubs and tussocks.

Use it as a specimen in a native garden or in a mixed informal hedge, placing female plants where the red fruit can be seen.

Seasonal Care Calendar

Spring

New shoots appear and flowering may begin; the exact flowering season is not documented in the sources consulted.

  • Mulch around the base
  • Plant new shrubs

Summer

Shoots extend and then abort at their tips, building the divaricating framework.

  • Water young plants in dry spells
  • Leave the natural shape intact

Autumn

Small red fruits colour up on female plants.

  • Collect ripe fruit for seed
  • Leave plenty for birds

Winter

Plants are evergreen and hardy through winter frosts.

  • Take hardwood cuttings
  • Light shaping if required

When to Prune and How Much

Coprosma decurva needs little pruning; its tangled, arching branch pattern is part of its appeal.

If used as a hedge, trim lightly after fruiting. Avoid heavy pruning, which can spoil the characteristic decurved habit.

How to Grow Coprosma

No species-specific propagation account was found for Coprosma decurva, so the advice here follows standard practice for divaricating Coprosma, which are routinely propagated by native plant nurseries from seed and from cuttings. The species is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants, so plants raised from cuttings keep the sex of the parent while seedlings will be a mix. Each red fruit usually contains two seeds (pyrenes), sometimes one or three. Cuttings are the more reliable way to produce female plants for fruit display, while seed is better for restoration plantings where genetic diversity matters. Collect material only with permission, ideally from local sources.

From Seed

Seed should be sown fresh. Germination in Coprosma can be slow and spread over several months.

  1. Pick fully ripe red fruit in autumn
  2. Remove the orange flesh by squashing and rinsing
  3. Sow seeds in a free-draining mix, cover lightly and keep moist in a sheltered spot
  4. Pot on seedlings once they have several pairs of leaves

From Cuttings

Semi-hardwood cuttings in late summer or hardwood cuttings in winter usually root well in small-leaved Coprosma.

  1. Take 8 to 10 cm cuttings from healthy shoots, choosing female plants if fruit is wanted
  2. Trim the lower leaves and dip the base in rooting hormone if available
  3. Insert into a sand and pumice mix and keep humid and shaded
  4. Pot on once roots form, usually after several weeks

Pests & Diseases

No specific pests are recorded for Coprosma decurva. Scale insects and associated sooty mould sometimes affect Coprosma in sheltered gardens.

In the wild, browsing by introduced deer, goats and possums can damage small-leaved shrubs, although no particular threat to this species is documented.

Cultural Significance

No Māori name or traditional use specific to Coprosma decurva is recorded in the sources consulted.

Although botanists recognised it as distinct from Coprosma parviflora from 1961, and Audrey Eagle illustrated it under the tag name Coprosma sp. (p), it was not formally named until Michael Heads published Coprosma decurva in the New Zealand Journal of Botany in 1998.

Bonus Tip

To pick Coprosma decurva from the similar Coprosma parviflora in the field, look at the leaf base, the branches and the fruit. A rounded rather than wedge-shaped leaf base, strongly arched pale branches with coarse white hairs on the young twigs, and bright red fruit together point to C. decurva, which Heads separated from C. parviflora on exactly these features.

Plant Conservation

Coprosma decurva is ranked Not Threatened (2023), unchanged since 2004. In the 2025 regional assessments it is Regionally Not Threatened in Otago but Regionally Naturally Uncommon in the Wellington region.

Controlling browsing animals and protecting forest margins and shrublands within its range help this and other divaricating shrubs. Photographed observations help map its patchy distribution.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you recognise Coprosma decurva?

Look for a bushy divaricating shrub with pale, strongly decurved branches, dense coarse white hairs on young twigs, tiny oblong leaves 3 to 8 mm long with rounded bases, and small bright red fruits.

How is Coprosma decurva different from Coprosma parviflora?

Heads (1998) separated it from C. parviflora by its decurved branches, oblong leaves with rounded rather than wedge-shaped bases, bright red fruits, distinctive flavonoid chemistry and chromosome number 2n = 44.

Where does Coprosma decurva grow?

It is recorded from the North, South and Stewart Islands. iNaturalist records come from places such as Egmont National Park, the Tararua and Ruahine ranges, Nelson and Marlborough, the West Coast, Dunedin's Mount Cargill, the Catlins and Rakiura.

What does decurva mean?

Decurva means curved downwards, referring to the conspicuously arched and decurved branches that are typical of plants growing in open sites.

Sources and Further Reading

The botanical, growing, and conservation details for Coprosma (Coprosma decurva) on this page draw on the New Zealand plant references below. Consult them for full technical records and the latest distribution data.