Terrestrial or sometimes epiphytic, in wet forests and bogs (Wagner, et al. 1990: 593)
| These are stiffly erect
shrubs that are 1 to 5 m tall (Wagner et al. 1990: 593) that
are found most often in the wet forests (Stone and Pratt 1994: 195).
This is a common understory shrub where it is found as scattered individuals (Stone and Pratt 1994: 195). Unlike the related V. reticulatum, this species is not recognized as easily by its bright fruit since they tend to occur in smaller numbers on much larger plants. |
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| The leaves are quite
variable in shape. One distinguishing character that will
separate this from the other red-berried species in the same
wet-forest habitat (Coprosma ochracea) are the teeth along the
edge of the leaf.
The leaves are bright green and quite large (5 to 8 cm long and 2 to 4 cm wide) (Wagner et al. 1990: 593). The leaves are deciduous, with young plants retaining their leaves for several years (Wagner et al. 1990: 593). |
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| The flowers are distinctive by having
ovate calyx lobes longer than the tube at anthesis (Wagner, et al. 1990: 593).
The flowers are relatively inconspicuous and their color varies from greenish to red (Stone and Pratt 1994: 195). They range from 9 to 12 mm long (Wagner, et al. 1990: 593). |
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| The berries are bright red.
They resemble their well-known relatives, the blueberries and
cranberries. They range in size from about 9 to 15 mm in
diameter. They have small but numerous seeds (Wagner, et al. 1990:
593).
These berries are edible but are more tart tasting than the more often eaten V. reticulatum (Stone and Pratt 1994: 195). |
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