Coprosma lucida or shining karamu has the most lustrous (lucid) sheen of all Coprosma.. The male leaves are  broader than the female. Ripe berries range from yellow to orange	Coprosma arboreus The tree Coprosma is the tallest Coprosma . Berries are translucent white when ripe and the leaves spoon shaped. The juvenile leaves are a lot smaller than the adults and may have a red or brown tint on the lower surface.	Coprosma grandifolia has  the largest leaves and is found in sheltered shady spots, often around creeks. It is recognisable by the mottled pattern on the leafs top surface.
Coprosma propinqua is common in swamps and damp spots through out NZ and may have berries ranging from blue to white often with flecks The leaf is sometimes asymmetrical, being straight on one side and curved on the other.	Coprosma waima has a distribution limited to southern Hokianga. It differs from C.robusta in not possessing a petiole at the base of the leaf.	Coprosma rhamnoides has an intensively divaricating habit and is found throughout New Zealand in scrub and forest. Berries range from claret red to almost black.
Coprosma spathulata with its winged petiole and spoon or spatula like leaf often with brown blotches.	The spreading or prostrate Coprosma acerosa is ideally suited to coastal sand dunes.	Coprosma grandifolia Coprosma berries possess a scar on the end of the berry which is a remnant of the flower calyx.
Coprosma rigida common in swamps.	The shiny orbicular leaves of Coprosma repens are an ideal protective coating for the salt winds and high sunshine hours of the coast	Coprosma rotundifolia has an obvious dimple on the leafs topside caused by the domatia below.
Coprosma robusta karamu is widespread  due to the large number of berries and seeds the plant produces and its tough leathery leaves making it ideal in a range of environments	C.lucida male flower produces wind and insect dispersed pollen from its many anthers. There can be a surplus of females in a population of Coprosma as one male can successfully pollinate and fertilise many females  The flowers of Coprosma are small and inconspicuous, often with white or translucent petals	Coprosma lucida female flower. 2 stigma, 2 ovaries, 2 seeds per berry.