scientific and vernacularname fora large genus of trees and shrubs of the order Rubiaceae. From the Greek kopros, dung,on account of the bad smell of some of the species.See quotation. The Maori name is Karamu (q.v.).Various species receive special vernacular names,which appear in their places in the Dictionary.
1889. T. Kirk, `Forest Flora of New Zealand,' p. 110:
« Corosma comprises about forty species, of which atleast thirty are found in New Zealand, all of which arerestricted to the colony except C. pumila, which extendsto Australia. Five species are found in Australia, one ofwhich is C. pumila mentioned above. A few species occurin the Pacific, Chili, Juan Fernandez, the Sandwich Islands,&c.»