Species

Coriaria plumosa

Etymology

Coriaria: From the Latin corium 'hide', possibly from the use of some species for tanning leather
plumosa: feathery

Common Name(s)

Feathery tutu, mountain tutu, small-leaved tutu

Current Conservation Status

2012 - Not Threatened

Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2012 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2009 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, Paul D. Champion, Shannel P. Courtney, Peter B. Heenan, John W. Barkla, Ewen K. Cameron, David A. Norton and Rodney A. Hitchmough. File size: 792KB

Previous Conservation Status

2009 - Not Threatened
2004 - Not Threatened

Authority

Coriaria plumosa W.R.B.Oliv.

Family

Coriariaceae

Brief Description

Low-growing bushy spreading shrub consisting of many erect branches bearing feathery dark green narrow pointed leaves 6-8mm long by 1.5-3mm wide, widest near base of leaf. Inhabiting open upland areas. Branches square in cross-section, soft. Fruit black, arranged in a short spike.

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

CORPLU

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Trees & Shrubs

Synonyms

Coriaria lurida var. parviflora Cockayne et Allan; Coriaria lurida complex sensu Allan (1961)

Distribution

North Island from Mount Egmont and Mount Hikurangi south and throughout South Island.

Habitat

Occurs in lowland to lower subalpine zones on alluvial ground, grassland, stream-beds and debris slopes.

Threats

Not Threatened

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Fleshy berries are dispersed by frugivory (Thorsen et al., 2009).

Poisonous plant

All Coriaria species are poisonous especially the seed inside the black berries. Click on this link for more information about Poisonous native plants.

This page last updated on 2 Jul 2014