Identifier: plantsofnewzeala1906lain (find matches)
Title: Plants of New Zealand
Year: 1906 (1900s)
Authors: Laing, R. M. (Robert Malcolm), b. 1865 Blackwell, E. W. (Ellen W.)
Subjects: Plants
Publisher: Christchurch : Whitcombe and Tombs, Ltd.
Contributing Library: The LuEsther T Mertz Library, the New York Botanical Garden
Digitizing Sponsor: The LuEsther T Mertz Library, the New York Botanical Garden

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ily Coriariaceae possesses only one genus, Coriaria,whose remarkable distribution has been given above. Of theNew Zealand species, two, C. ruscifolia, and C. thymifolia, aresaid to be found also in South America ; the identity, however,of these forms with ours has been questioned. This dis-tribution has been used to prove a former land connectionbetween New Zealand and South America, but the order isprobably a very ancient one, and the discontinuity ofdistribution is more likely to be due to relict endemism,than to direct communication between these two remotedistricts. The family may at one time have been widelydistributed over the face of the globe, and have died out in allplaces except those in which it is now found. C. thymifolia is known in New Granada as the Ink-plant,as the juice of its fruit is used as a writing fluid. Rather acurious character of the genus is the formation of the fruitfrom the persistent petals, which become fleshy and full ofpurple juice. THE TUTU FAMILY 227
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228 plants of new zealand Effects of the Poison. The tiitii is well known as the most remarkable of NewZealands poisonous plants. Some of the animals liberatedhere by Captain Cook died from the effects of eating theleaves, and in the early days of the Colony the settlers lostlarge nmubers of their animals in this w^ay. Thus Dr. LauderLindsay states in the British Medical Review (July 1865) :He seemed a fortunate farmer or runholder who had not lostmore than 25 per cent, of his stock from toot-poisoning, whilstin some instances, the losses were so high as 75 per cent.Sir Julius von Haast narrates how an elephant travelling witha circus, died from eating this plant by the way-side. Further,there are on record a few cases in which human beings havelost their lives from eating the shoots or berries of the tutu.The poison produces vomiting, convulsions, frothing at themouth, and death. It has been found that a dose of about a milligram of theextract produces nausea, vomiting, and incapacit

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