260 
THE  TOOT-POISON  OF  NEW  ZEALAND. 
Maoris  and  settlers  in  different  parts  of  the  New  Zealand  islands  ; 
and  this  of  itself  indicates  how  familiar  it  is,  and  how  abun- 
dantly and  widely  distributed.    The  genus  Coriaria  is  a  small 
one,  and,  if  not  belonging  to  a  sub-division  of  the  Natural  Order 
Ochnacece,  probably  represents  a  separate  Order  closely  allied 
thereto  and  to  the  Rutaceoe.    The  most  distinguished  botanists, 
however,  are  at  issue  as  to  its  precise  place  and  alliances  in  the 
vegetable  system.  They  are  in  similar  dubiety  as  to  the  species 
of  the  genus,  and  the  varieties  of  the  species  C.  ruscifolia,  L. 
In  New  Zealand  there  appear  to  be  at  least  three  Coriarias, 
which  some  botanists  regard  as  mere  varieties  of  C.  ruscifolia, 
L.,  and  others  consider  separate  species.    The  writer  had  made, 
in  July,  1862,  an  examination  of  all  the  species  of  the  genus 
Qoriara  contained  in  the  Hookerian  and    Benthamian  Col- 
lections at  Kew,  the  result  whereof  was  a  strong  conviction  of 
the  necessity  for  a  critical  revision  of  the  whole  genus,  through- 
out all  its  species,  wherever  distributed.     The  writer  considers 
the  specific  names  of  the  Toot-plant  (both  ruscifolia  and  sar- 
mentosa}  objectionable,  as  not  truly  applicable  or  descriptive  ; 
and  proposes  the  specific  term  C.  tutu,  the  Maori  name  of  the 
plant,  as  more  convenient  to  indicate  the  type  of  the  species, 
leaving  such  terms  as  ruscifolia,  thymifolia,  and  sarmentosa,  to 
represent  varieties  or  other  species,  as  a  subsequent  critical  ex- 
amination of  the  genus  may  render  necessary  or  desirable. 
In  contrast  to,  and  in  connection  with  the  toxic  action  of  C. 
ruscifolia,  the  writer  may  remark  on  the  better-known  poisonous 
properties  of  C.  myrtifolia,  familiar  as  an  adulterant  of  senna, 
and  on  those  of  other  species  of  the  genus  Coriaria.*  He 
*  Coriaria  myrtifolia  is  known  in  New  Grenada  under  the  name  of  the 
"  Ink-plant,"  and  the  following  letter  respecting  it,  from  Dr.  Jameson,  of 
Quito,  was  read  recently  at  a  meeting  of  the  Linnean  Society: — 
"  I  am  anxious  to  have  Dr.  Hooker's  opinion  of  the  '  Ink-plant.'  There 
is  a  tradition  here  respecting  this  vegetable-juice  that  merits  attention. 
It  happened,  during  the  Spanish  Administration,  that  a  number  of  written 
documents,  destined  to  the  mother-country,  were  embarked  in  a  vessel, 
and  transmitted  round  the  Gape.  The  voyage  was  unusually  tempestuous, 
and  the  documents  got  wetted  with  salt  water.  Those  written  with 
common  ink  became  nearly  illegible,  whereas  those  written  with  'Chauchi' 
(the  name  of  the  juice)  remained  unaltered.    A  decree  was  thereupon 
