Coprosma rotundifolia is a native forest shrub of New Zealand found on the North, South, and Stewart Islands.

Coprosma rotundifolia can grow to a large bushy shrub of up to 6 metres (20 ft) tall.

The leaves are mainly pale green, often with purple blotches, and covered in short to long soft hairs, particularly on the edges of the leaf.

Domatia are present on the surface of leaves between veins, on the midrib, and near the edges on the underside of the leaf.

The corolla is funnel-shaped, with the lobes widest at the base and ovate with a sharp tip furthest from the tube.

[3][4] The seeds germinate in favourable conditions such as soils with higher levels of calcium carbonate, and can grow up to a small tree.

Common herbivores include introduced grazers such as possums, rats, deer and goats.