Communities

Scientific Name

Coprosma quadrifida

Family Name

RUBIACEAE

Common Name

Native Currant

Status

Height

2.0m - 4.0m (200-400cm)

Flowers

Solitary on very short axillary stalks.

Fruit

Berries or drupes

Form

Erect much-branched shrub.

Municipalities

Break O'Day; Burnie; Central Coast; Central Highlands; Circular Head; Clarence; Derwent Valley; Devonport; Dorset; Flinders Island; Georgetown; Glamorgan-Spring Bay; Glenorchy; Hobart; Huon Valley; Kentish; King Island; Kingborough; Latrobe; Launceston; Meander Valley; Northern Midlands; Sorell; Southern Midlands; Tasman; Waratah-Wynyard; West Coast; West Tamar

Communities

Dry Eucalypt Forest and Woodland; Wet Eucalypt Forest

Habitat Notes

Widespread from sea level to around 800m.

Site Tolerance

Dry; Moist; Rocky; Shady

Frost Tolerance

Hardy

Soil Tolerance

Clay; Fertile; Loam; Poorly-drained; Sandy; Well-drained

General Notes

Important understorey component. Provides food and nest sites for several small bird species. Resistant to Phytophthora cinnamomi. Not suitable below powerlines.

Propagation Details

Propagation Calendar

Flowering Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Seed Collecting Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Sowing Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Cutting Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Seed Information

Seed Collection

Orange to red drupe, very translucent and shining.dupe with stone breaking into 2 pyrenes

Seed Treatment Method

Standard

Seed Storage Life

36 months or longer

Viable Seeds Per Gram

180-250+

Seed Treatment Notes

Remove flesh from fruit and sow seed soon after collection. *After soaking in tomato soup germination time can be reduced to approximately 4 weeks and germination is less erratic.

Germination Time

Up to 5 months*

Suitable for Direct Seeding

Cuttings

Expected Time to Take Root

Expected Time to Plant Out

Propagation by Division N.B. Transplant only from nearby to avoid disease.

Cutting Notes

May also be grown from cuttings