Karamu Street

Karamu Street celebrates the small native tree coprosma robusta (known to the Māori as karamu). The Waikato and Hawke's Bay also have towns named after the karamu.

The natural range of the karamu extends throughout the South and North Islands. Karamu occurs naturally only in New Zealand and is one of our most geographically widespread species, ranging from lowlands to montane forests, as well as scrubland and coastal areas. However, the karamu prefers the areas along forest edges, regenerating bush margins and stream banks.

The seed of karamu is dispersed by birds that eat the fleshy fruit. Birds involved with seed dispersal include the native bellbird, kereru and tui as well as the exotic blackbird and thrush.

Humans active in re-vegetation projects recognise the role of birds and karamu in establishing areas of regenerating bush.

Its leathery leaves are 50 to 120mm long, elliptical to oblong in shape and grow opposite each other on the stem. The leaves are dark green in colour, with paler green undersides.

Identification is aided by the presence of small holes, called domatia, on the undersides of leaves, and a prominent vein pattern. The bark of karamu is pale green when young, turning brown when older. Flowers form dense clusters with separate male and female flowers. The fruit turn from red with touches of yellow to a complete red by the time they are fully ripe.

The karamu seed was used by the Māori as food. Eaten mostly by children, it gave a sweet taste at first, with a slightly bitter aftertaste.

Botanists have classified the plant in the Rubiaceae family, which is sometimes called the coffee family. Coprosma seed has been used to brew coffee.

The small size of the seeds means that New Zealand grown karamu is not a threat to the worldwide coffee industry but its potential could be kept in mind if global changes affected the supply of our usual coffee.

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.