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. 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:
#Western Mediterranean (Portugal, Spain, Balearic Islands, France, Italy near France, Morocco, Algeria)
#Southern and eastern Asia (Pakistan to central China)
#Islands of eastern Asia (Japan, Taiwan, Philippines)
#Pacific islands (New Guinea, Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Zealand). New Zealand is the place where there are more different species of *Coriaria*.
#America (Mexico to Peru and other group in Chile and western Argentine).

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## 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.

# *Coriaria angustissima* Hook.f. - New Zealand's South Island
# *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)
# *Coriaria duthiei* D.K.Singh & Pusalkar - Pakistan to West Himalaya
# *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
# *Coriaria kingiana* Colenso - New Zealand's North Island
# *Coriaria kweichovensis* - Southern and Central China
# *Coriaria lurida* Kirk - New Zealand
# *Coriaria myrtifolia* L. - Western Mediterranean to Italy
# *Coriaria nepalensis* Wall. - Pakistan to Southern and Central China
# *Coriaria plumosa* W.R.B.Oliv. - New Zealand
# *Coriaria pottsiana* W.R.B.Oliv. - New Zealand's North Island
# *Coriaria pteridoides* W.R.B.Oliv. - New Zealand's North Island
# *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
# *Coriaria × sarlurida* Cockayne & Allan (Hybrid Formula: C. lurida × C. sarmentosa) - New Zealand
# *Coriaria × sarmangusta* Allan (Hybrid Formula: C. angustissima × C. sarmentosa) - New Zealand
# *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

## References