Coriaria sarmentosa

Coriaria sarmentosa is a robust shrub in the family Coriariaceae. It usually reaches a height of 1 metre (3 feet 3 inches), and consists of many erect or spreading branches, and it reaches a diameter of 4 m (13 ft) long. It has glossy green pointed leaves, which are 40–50 mm long. The flowers are arranged in a spike which is about 8 cm (3.1 in) in length. Fruit is dark purple in colour. This species, and all Coriaria species, are poisonous, especially the seeds. C. sarmentosa has a diploid chromosome count of 80.

New Zealand has the highest concentration of Coriaria species. C. sarmentosa is found in the North, South, and Stewart Islands. In the North Island, the species is present on Wellington's coast. C. sarmentosa 's 2023 conservation status in the New Zealand Threat Classification System was "Not Threatened".

Habitat. Coriaria sarmentosa's habitat ranges from sea level to mountainous environments. It can be found on debris slopes and along streams. Daly (1967) notes that the species is found grasslands and shrublands.

Coriaria sarmentosa's seeds are dispersed by fruit-eating animals (frugivores). German-born New Zealand explorer Julius von Haast recorded that the kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus), a large flightless parrot, fed on C. sarmentosa's fruits and favoured them. The pollination strategy of Coriaria is uncertain. Burrows (1995) claimed the flowers are pollinated by birds and insects. Thomphson & Gornal (1995) claimed that Coriaria is wind-pollinated.

The etymology (word origin) of C. sarmentosa's genus name, Coriaria, derives from the Latin corium meaning 'hide', possibly originating from the use of this genus in leather tanning. The specific epithet (second part of the scientific name), sarmentosa, comes from the Latin sarmentosus, meaning 'full of twigs'. The species is commonly known as tutu, grassland tutu, or ground tutu. The Māori language name 'tutu' has cognates found in other Eastern Polynesian languages such as Tahitian and Cook Islands Māori which use the word to describe the unrelated Colubrina asiatica, a plant that has visual similarity to Coriaria. The word 'tutu' has been used colloquially as a verb.