Coriaria

***Coriaria*** is a genus of plants. It is the only genus currently known in the Coriariaceae family. About 15-20 species are currently known.

## Description

Most of the species are shrubs but some are subshrubs (small shrubs) or small trees. Leaves are simple, opposite or whorled, with 3 to 9 major veins coming from the base.

The fruits look like berries but they are small nuts (achenes) protected by enlarged and colored petals. Fruits cannot be eaten because their seeds are poisonous; in some species, mainly those from New Zealand, the petals that protect the true fruits can be eaten. Several species of this genus can fix nitrogen from the air because they have bacteria of genus _Frankia_ in their roots.

## Name

The name of the genus _Coriaria_ was given by Linnaeus in 1753 in _Species Plantarum_ (Vol. 2, page 1037). The type species is _Coriaria myrtifolia_ L.

_Coriaria_ comes from the Latin word _corium_, meaning "leather" because these plants have a substance named tannin which is used to make leather from skins.

The several New Zealand species are known by the Māori name of "tutu".

## Where it grows

The genus has a very interesting geographic distribution. It is found in 5 regions:
1. Western Mediterranean (Portugal, Spain, Balearic Islands, France, Italy near France, Morocco, Algeria)
1. Southern and eastern Asia (Pakistan to central China)
1. Islands of eastern Asia (Japan, Taiwan, Philippines)
1. Pacific islands (New Guinea, Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Zealand). New Zealand is the place where there are more different species of _Coriaria_.
1. America (Mexico to Peru and other group in Chile and western Argentine).

## Uses

Some species of _Coriaria_ are used to produce leather from skins of different animals (cattle, horses).

In New Zealand, the Maori people make a juice with the "fruits" (actually the petals) of "tutu". In Chile, the nuts are used to make poison for rats and mice.

Because they produce many bright, colored fruits, some species of _Coriaria_ are used as ornamental plants.

## Species

In the genus _Coriaria_ (y en la familia _Coriariaceae_) there are about 17 species.

1. _Coriaria angustissima_ Hook.f. - New Zealand's South Island
1. _Coriaria arborea_ Linds. - Chatham and Kermadec islands (New Zealand)
    - _Coriaria arborea_ var. _arborea_ - Chatham Island (New Zealand)
    - _Coriaria arborea_ var. _kermadecensis_ W.R.B.Oliv. - Kermadec Island (New Zealand)
1. _Coriaria duthiei_ D.K.Singh & Pusalkar - Pakistan to West Himalaya
1. _Coriaria japonica_ A.Gray - Taiwan, North and Central Japan
    - _Coriaria japonica_ subsp. _intermedia_ (Matsum.) T.C.Huang - Taiwan
    - _Coriaria japonica_ subsp. _japonica_ - North and Central Japan
1. _Coriaria kingiana_ Colenso - New Zealand's North Island
1. _Coriaria kweichovensis_ - Southern and Central China
1. _Coriaria lurida_ Kirk - New Zealand
1. _Coriaria myrtifolia_ L. - Western Mediterranean to Italy
1. _Coriaria nepalensis_ Wall. - Pakistan to Southern and Central China
1. _Coriaria plumosa_ W.R.B.Oliv. - New Zealand
1. _Coriaria pottsiana_ W.R.B.Oliv. - New Zealand's North Island
1. _Coriaria pteridoides_ W.R.B.Oliv. - New Zealand's North Island
1. _Coriaria ruscifolia_ L. - New Guinea to South Pacific, Mexico to Southwestern Argentina
    - _Coriaria ruscifolia_ subsp. _microphylla_ (Poir.) J.E.Skog - New Guinea to New Zealand, Mexico to Peru
    - _Coriaria ruscifolia_ subsp. _ruscifolia_ - New Zealand to South Pacific, central & south Chile to southwestern Argentina
1. _Coriaria × sarlurida_ Cockayne & Allan (Hybrid Formula: C. lurida × C. sarmentosa) - New Zealand
1. _Coriaria × sarmangusta_ Allan (Hybrid Formula: C. angustissima × C. sarmentosa) - New Zealand
1. _Coriaria terminalis_ Hemsl. - Central & eastern Himalaya to China (Sichuan)
    - _Coriaria terminalis_ var. _terminalis_ - Sikkim to China (Sichuan)
    - _Coriaria terminalis_ var. _xanthocarpa_ Rehder & E.H.Wilson in C.S.Sargent - Central & eastern Himalaya to southern Tibet