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Coriaria arborea
Tree tutu is a bushy shrub or small tree native to New Zealand, growing to about 3 to 7 metres, that colonises moist open ground such as stream banks and debris fans. It is grown in gardens mainly for its form and foliage, and its key feature is that nearly every part is highly poisonous.
Coriaria arborea, commonly known as tutu and tree tutu, is a species of shrub or small tree in the family Coriariaceae. It is endemic to New Zealand. Every part of C. arborea, except the juice of the fruits, contains the toxin tutin, which is highly poisonous to humans and livestock. Poisonings can result in brain paralysis, convulsions, exhaustion, memory loss, or even death. C. arborea is a bushy shrub which can grow to a height of 7 metres (23 feet). C. arborea is able to colonise new areas of moist ground, and can be found on debris fans, glacial moraine, and stream banks.
The plant was first described in 1868 by Scottish botanist William Lauder Lindsay. There are seven New Zealand members of the Coriaria genus. C. arborea's pollination strategy is uncertain, although a 2025 source argured it is pollinated by the wind.
Coriaria arborea's seeds are dispersed by fruit-eating animals (frugivores), such as birds and lizards. A 1995 study noted the introduced blackbird (Turdus merula) and the native silvereye (Zosterops lateralis) ate the fruits of C. arborea. Other birds which are known to consume the fruits of C. arborea include the kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) and New Zealand bellbirds (Anthornis melanura). The British botanist Thomas Potts recorded that the now possibly extinct South Island kōkako (Callaeas cinereus) fed on the fruits of Coriaria. German-born New Zealand explorer Julius von Haast recorded that the kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus), a large flightless parrot, also fed on Coriaria fruits.
Coriaria arborea has several recorded Māori names, including tutu, tāweku, tūpākihi, tāwehu, pūhou, pukou, puho, and tuturakau. C. arborea has a variety of food, medicinal and musical uses in traditional Māori culture. Despite the toxicity from most of the plant, indigenous Māori were able to juice the petals after removing the poisonous seeds by filtering them through the flower heads of toetoe (Austroderia sp.). This beverage was called waitutu and was consumed in large quantitues, which was also used as a laxative. This beverage was also fermented into a wine, which was also popular with European settlers.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Coriaria arborea by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
