Karamu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Karamu
Scientific classification
Genus:	Coprosma
Species:	robusta

Karamu, also known as Coprosma robusta, is a cool flowering plant from the Rubiaceae family. It's super tough and can grow in many places. You'll often find it near the coast, in forests, or in shrublands. Karamu can grow up to 6 meters (about 20 feet) tall! Its leaves can be as long as 12 centimeters (about 5 inches). People use karamu for different things, like eating its fruit or using its young shoots for medicine.

How to Spot Karamu

What Karamu Looks Like

Karamu is a large, bushy plant that can grow up to 6 meters tall. Its branches are strong and don't have hair. A special feature of karamu, and other Coprosma plants, are tiny holes on the back of the leaves where veins meet. These are called domatia. Karamu also has small, black, hairless parts called stipules at the base of its leaves.

Karamu Leaves

Karamu leaves are shiny and can be from 5 to 12 centimeters long. They are shaped like an oval with pointed or rounded ends. You can easily see the veins on the leaves. The top of the leaf is dark green, and the back is lighter green. The leaves are thick, and the main vein on the top surface is flat.

Karamu Flowers

Karamu flowers are small and white. They grow in groups where the leaves meet the stem. Each flower has four parts, but male and female flowers look different. Male flowers are dense and bell-shaped with four stamens (the parts that make pollen). Female flowers are more complex and tube-shaped. They have clear stigmas (the parts that receive pollen). The best time to see karamu flowers is between August and September.

Karamu Fruit

Karamu in fruit

Karamu fruit are usually dark orange-red to red. They are shaped like an oval or a narrow egg. The best time to see karamu fruit is between April and May.

Where Karamu Grows

Karamu's Home

Karamu is originally from New Zealand. However, it is now starting to grow naturally in parts of southeast Australia, like Victoria and Tasmania. In these places, it is sometimes seen as a weed.

Karamu in New Zealand

You can find karamu all over New Zealand, in both the North and South Islands. It also grows in a small area on the Chatham Islands. Karamu often grows in lowland forests. It seems to grow more in the North Island, especially in lower areas.

In Canterbury, karamu is found in small patches of native bush and forest edges. You can also see it in city parks and green spaces in Christchurch, like Riccarton Bush.

Where Karamu Likes to Live

Karamu can be found near the coast, in lowland areas, and in lower mountain regions. It can also grow in shrublands and within dense forests. However, there are fewer karamu plants in forests like beech and kahikatea forests. Karamu is a tough plant that can grow in poor soils, wet lands, and windy places. It can grow from sea level up to 1200 meters high. It can handle full sun, shade, wind, and even frost.

Karamu's Life Cycle

In New Zealand, karamu flowers from winter (around July) to summer (around December). Male and female flowers grow on separate plants. This is called dioecious. The seeds are ready by April and start growing soon after. They don't stay in the ground for a long time.

Birds help spread karamu seeds by eating the fruit. Because karamu is so tough, its seeds can easily grow even in open areas. As mentioned, the best time for karamu to have fruit is between April and May. It can grow up to six meters tall and often helps new plants grow in an area after a disturbance.

Karamu in Nature

Growing Conditions

Karamu is a very tough plant. It can grow in many different conditions, from full sun to shade, and from dry to moist. It can also handle frost and strong winds. The ripe fruit can survive temperatures as low as -8°C (17.6°F). The leaves can handle temperatures down to -7°C (19.4°F) before they get damaged. Karamu grows best in moist soil that isn't too acidic, but it can also live in poor soils. You can find it in coastal areas, lowland scrub, swamps, and rocky places.

Karamu's Predators

Some animals like goats and deer eat karamu. Hares and rabbits also eat the young karamu plants. Other small creatures like leafhoppers also feed on karamu.

Karamu's Friends

Many birds help spread karamu seeds. These include native bellbirds and Tuis, silvereyes, and introduced birds like blackbirds and song thrushes. Seeds can travel far and even reach older forests. Other creatures like mites and finches also interact with karamu.

Karamu also has a special partnership with mycorrhizal fungi in its roots. These fungi help the plant get water and nutrients from the soil. Experiments show that karamu grows better with these fungi, especially if there's enough phosphorus in the soil.

Karamu as a Host

Sometimes, karamu acts as a host plant, supporting other plants like podocarp, totara, and yellow-wood trees.

How People Use Karamu

Medicinal Uses

Young karamu shoots can be boiled, and the liquid can be drunk to help with swelling or bladder problems. Māori people believed that karamu leaves could help with kidney issues. The bark was used to treat stomachaches and vomiting.

Karamu as Food

The ripe berries of karamu can be eaten. Its leaves can also be used to make a tea drink.

Dyes from Karamu

Karamu is rich in natural dyes like alizarin and purpurin. Traditionally, Māori people used it to dye flax fibers yellow. Sometimes, karamu leaves were placed on hot stones to dye and preserve food after a hangi (a traditional Māori feast cooked in an earth oven).

Karamu in Traditions

Baptists used karamu leaves in ceremonies. Green karamu branches were held by tohunga (Māori experts or priests) in a special ceremony called tohi for newborn babies.

Planting Karamu

Karamu grows quickly and becomes bushy. Because of this, it is often grown and used in projects to replant areas with native plants.

Fun Facts About Karamu

Coprosma robusta was one of the first seven Coprosma species collected by Joseph Banks during Captain Cook's voyage to New Zealand. Back then, it was called Pelaphia lata.

Recently, a study in Riccarton Bush in Christchurch showed something interesting about karamu. Most of the flowering karamu plants there were female (about 70%). This is different from other Coprosma species in New Zealand, which often have more male plants. Scientists think this might be because of how much energy male and female plants use to reproduce, or other factors affecting their growth and survival.