''Coriaria'' is the sole genus in the family Coriariaceae, which was described by Linnaeus in 1753.Tropicos, Coriaria L.
/ref> It includes 14 species of small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s, shrubs and subshrubs, with a widespread but disjunct distribution across warm temperate regions of the world, occurring as far apart as the Mediterranean region, southern and eastern Asia,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

(where some are alpine species), the Pacific Ocean islands, and Central and South America.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> The leaves are opposite or in whorls, simple, 2–9 cm long, without stipules. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are borne in racemes 2–30 cm long, each flower small, greenish, with five small petals. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

is a small and shiny black (occasionally yellow or red) berry-like swollen corolla, highly poisonous in several species, though those of ''C. terminalis'' are edible. At least a few members of this genus are

non-legume nitrogen fixer Actinorhizal plants are a group of angiosperms characterized by their ability to form a symbiosis with the nitrogen fixing actinomycetota ''Frankia''. This association leads to the formation of nitrogen-fixing root nodules. Classification Actinorh ...

s. The Mediterranean species ''C. myrtifolia'' is known as redoul, and the several New Zealand species are known by the Māori name of tutu. The South American species ''C. ruscifolia'' is an evergreen climber known as deu or huique, and its fruits are used in Southern

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

to make rat poison.

Species

''Coriaria'' comprises the following species:

Hybrids

The following hybrids have been described: * ''Coriaria'' × ''sarlurida'' Cockayne & Allan - New Zealand * ''Coriaria'' × ''sarmangusta'' Allan - New Zealand

Fossil record

Coriariaceae fossils as pollen and seeds, are known from the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

of Europe. The discovery of pollen grains from Early Campanian (ca. 82 Mya) deposits in Antarctica, which were described as ''Coriaripites goodii'', expand the family’s fossil record and represent the so far oldest fossil of the order Cucurbitales.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q1067620, from2=Q6930198 Cucurbitales genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus