Karamū
Coprosma robusta
A coffee cousin, glossy and fast, loaded with orange berries the birds strip; the first shrub to plant on bare ground.
Hardiness: zones 8 to 10
Light: full sun to part shade
Size: about 12 ft tall, 8 ft wide
Harvest: September to November
From: Aotearoa New Zealand
Here: Too tender to overwinter outdoors on the Lake Erie shore (zone 6b to 7a): grow it in a pot and bring it in, or treat it as an annual.
Good for: food, wildlife.
Native to: Aotearoa New Zealand. Hardy in zones 8 to 10.
The story
Karamū belongs to the coffee family, and settlers did roast its seeds as a substitute. In Māori ceremony its leafy branches are used by tohunga. It is one of the first shrubs to return to cleared ground.
Planting
Sun or part shade and almost any soil. Plant male and female for berries.
Growing
It needs no care. Trim it if it gets leggy.
Harvest and use
Orange berries in autumn, sweet and a little bland, eaten fresh by children and by every bird in the district. A nurse shrub under which slower forest trees start.
What to watch for
Hard frost when young. It seeds around readily.
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More native and wild plants
General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home