Coriaria arborea is a highly poisonous and common native shrub or small tree of New Zealand. The common name for plants of this genus is Tutu.[1]
| Coriaria arborea | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Cucurbitales |
| Family: | Coriariaceae |
| Genus: | Coriaria |
| Species: | C. arborea
|
| Binomial name | |
| Coriaria arborea | |
Coriaria arborea is found in scrub and open areas from the coast to the hills across the country. A straggling plant, it can grow to 20 feet (6.1 m) high. The leaves grow opposite on slender stems while flowers are arranged in drooping racemes.[2] C. arborea is capable of nitrogen fixation.[3]
Ecology
editC. arborea plays host to several species of New Zealand endemic moth including Izatha austera, I. churtoni, I. mesoschista and I. peroneanella.[4]
Uses
editIn spite of its toxicity, Tutu was consumed by Māori, specifically the extracted juice from the fleshy flower petals. The gathered berries were placed in specially woven baskets (called pū tutu)[1] lined with the flower heads of Toetoe, acting as a sieve to separate the poisonous seeds from the squeezed juice. The extracted juice is used as a sweetener to foods such as fernroot or was boiled together with seaweed and left to set as a black jelly called Rehia.[5][1]
Toxicity
editThe toxin tutin is found in all parts of the plant apart from the fleshy flower petals. Tutu has been responsible for the most cases of livestock poisoning by any New Zealand plant. Dogs and even two circus elephants have been poisoned by the plant.[6] On occasion human poisoning has occurred through consuming honey where bees had interacted with the plant.[7]
In 2014, a hiker in Auckland, New Zealand looking to taste supplejack, mistakenly chewed the asparagus-looking young shoot of a tutu. He said he did not actually eat any of the plant because of the revolting taste, but within hours he had multiple tonic-clonic seizures (one of which dislocated his arm) along with labored breathing. Academic experts concluded he was lucky to survive the poisoning. A year later he had recovered fully apart from having some trouble with his memory.[8]
Honey becomes contaminated when bees collect honeydew secreted by the passionvine hopper insect that feeds off the tutu plant.[9] People have occasionally been hospitalised or even killed by honey contaminated with tutin. 1974 was the last case of commercial honey poisoning where 13 people were poisoned. Since 1974 there have been nine other cases of honey poisoning, with the most recent occurring in 1991 in the Bay of Plenty and 2008 in the Coromandel.[10] Periods of drought increase the risk of poisoning.
References
edit- ^ a b c Te Papa (Museum); Lehnebach, Carlos, eds. (2023). Flora: celebrating our botanical world. Wellington, New Zealand: Te Papa Press. p. 40. ISBN 978-1-9911509-1-2. OCLC 1409457791.
- ^ "Tutu (Coriaria arborea)". Taranaki Educational Resource: Research, Analysis and Information Network. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
- ^ Stevenson, Greta (1958-11-29). "Nitrogen Fixation by Non-nodulated Plants, and by Nodulated Coriaria arborea". Nature. 182 (4648): 1523–1524. Bibcode:1958Natur.182.1523S. doi:10.1038/1821523b0. PMID 13613329. S2CID 4146694.
- ^ Bennik, Rebecca Marie (2014). Sexual conflict and genital evolution in moths (PDF) (Thesis). University of Auckland. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
- ^ "Uses of Coriaria arborea- Tutu". Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- ^ "Diseases of sheep, cattle and deer - Tutu". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. 24 November 2008. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- ^ Poole, Alec Lindsay (1966). "Tutu". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
- ^ "New Zealand's poisonous plants". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- ^ Johnston, Martin (29 April 2008). "Drought, tutu poisons honey". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- ^ "Coriaria arborea var. arborea". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. Retrieved 31 August 2015.