glossy karamū

foliage palette: dark green

fruit & flower palette: red

Coprosma robusta | karamū, glossy karamū

A hardy, fast-growing evergreen shrub. It features large, glossy, deep green leaves and produces vibrant orange berries that are highly attractive to native birds. This plant is excellent for revegetation projects, shelter belts, and nurse planting, as it competes well with gorse and thrives in a wide range of tough conditions, including coastal areas. Karamū is low-maintenance and provides year-round greenery and structure, making it a versatile addition to any landscape.
karamū is a culturally significant plant in traditional Māori practices. It is associated with spirituality and is often featured in birthing and funerary rites. In traditional Rongoā medicine, it is used to address various ailments; a liquid from boiled juvenile shoots can be used for inflammation or bladder problems, while the leaves are believed to help with kidney issues and the bark to treat stomachache and vomiting. Early European settlers used boiled karamū leaves as a tea substitute, and in the 1870s, there were investigations into using the berries to create a coffee substitute.

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