Coriaria pteridoides

Coriaria pteridoides is a bushy shrub in the family Coriariaceae. It usually reaches a height of 1 metre (3 feet 3 inches), and consists of many erect branches. It has long, dark-green, narrow, and pointed leaves, which are 5–25 mm long by 2–4 mm wide. The pedicels are up to 5 mm long. Fruit is reddish-black in colour. This species, and all Coriaria species, are poisonous, especially the seeds. C. pteridoides has a diploid chromosome count of 80.

New Zealand has the highest concentration of Coriaria species. C. pteridoides is endemic to New Zealand's North Island. It is only found on the slopes of Mount Taranaki, the North Island Volcanic Plateau, and the Ruahine Ranges. C. pteridoides's 2023 conservation status in the New Zealand Threat Classification System was "Not Threatened".

Habitat. Coriaria pteridoides is found in mountainous environments. It can be found on gravel slopes and along streams. Daly (1967) notes that the species is found in rugged, native grasslands and shrublands, and is commonly found on pumiceous soils.

Coriaria pteridoides's seeds are dispersed by fruit-eating animals (frugivores). 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. pteridoides'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), pteridoides, means 'fern-like', it comes from the Greek pteris, meaning fern, and -oides meaning resembling. The species is commonly known as tutu or small-leaved 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.