# Prickly Currant-Bush

*Coprosma quadrifida*

The small, orange-red berries are edible and were historically used by Indigenous Australians as a food source, tasting slightly sweet.

- **Taxonomy:** Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Gentianales › Rubiaceae › Coprosma
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Wet sclerophyll forests, temperate rainforest margins, and damp gullies.
- **Diet:** Autotrophic (photosynthesis, absorbing water and nutrients from soil).
- **Range:** Victoria, Australia, Tasmania, Australia, New South Wales, Australia
- **Size:** Up to 2-4 meters in height
- **Lifespan:** 10-30 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Land clearing, invasive weeds (like blackberry), and overgrazing by introduced herbivores.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless, but its spine-tipped branches can cause minor scratches. Maintain a safe distance of a few inches to avoid pricks. If scratched, wash the area with clean water and mild soap to prevent infection.

## About

Coprosma quadrifida is a shrub of the Rubiaceae family native to southeastern Australia. First described as Canthium quadrifidum by Labillardiere, it was given its current name by B. L. Robinson in 1910.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/b18de154-3718-474f-bad4-d825d8edbd08
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/323305
- Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coprosma_quadrifida
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/26132625/medium.jpg (Rolf Lawrenz, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.