Thread: Don't eat the berries!!

Warning after hunter eats poisonous tutu berries, has seizures - NZ Herald

A 51 year-old hunter has had seizures and been admitted to Christchurch Hospital's intensive care unit after eating poisonous tutu berries.

The man is now recovering and Canterbury DHB has issued a warning about the toxic fruit, saying trampers and day walkers shouldn't eat unidentified purple or black native berries.

The man was hunting in the South Island and ate a significant amount of tutu berries, which he didn't realise were highly toxic.

Tutu shrubs (Coriaria arborea) are common along bush tracks and river banks throughout the country.

During summer the plants produce purple and black fruit that are a similar size to blueberries. They taste sweet, but, along with most other parts of the plant, contain the poison tutin.

A specific antidote for the toxin doesn't exist.

Dr Paul Gee, Canterbury DHB emergency medicine specialist, said suspected and/or confirmed cases of tutu poisoning are reported every year.

Although almost all patients recover, deaths have been reported in the past.

Tourists have had unexplained seizures and collapses after eating the berries.

Livestock - and allegedly circus elephants - have also died after eating tutu.

Tutu berries
• Tutu berries are purple or black berries, about the same size as blueberries.

• They are sweet but highly toxic.

• If you or someone else eats them contact the National Poisons Centre on 0800 POISON (0800 764 766).

• Medical treatment is almost always required.

Wow, the one major poisonous plant and he manages to eat it....

Originally Posted by 223nut

Wow, the one major poisonous plant and he manages to eat it....

Natural selection

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

You would think he heard about the plant at least a couple of times in the last 41 years

There was a bit of a scare around Pirongia a few years ago when bees concentrated on pollen collecting from flowering tutu. A few people fell ill from eating the honey, which tested high in tutin, the poison found in tutu.

Does anyone know the likely effects of a dog ingesting a few berries ?
I have a tree full of fruit that partly overhangs the kennel.

Originally Posted by Pengy

Does anyone know the likely effects of a dog ingesting a few berries ?
I have a tree full of fruit that partly overhangs the kennel.

TUTU
Botanical name: Coriaria

Status: all 10 species in NZ are very poisonous

Which parts are toxic: leaves, seeds and pollen but consider all parts toxic

About Tutu: species range from 50cm high shrub to straggly-looking tree up to 6m high, shiny green leaves and green flowers (September-March), long, hanging catkins, purple-black berries.
Found: in bush remnants, scrub, modified habitat from lowlands to mountains

Animals affected: all animals, and people

Symptoms: drooling, nausea, high state of nervousness/excitement, convulsions, exhaustion, death. The Lincoln Animal Health Laboratory* also report a “dummy” syndrome where sheep have been found standing still, reluctant to move and appearing to be blind with a rapid breath rate. These animals died within hours.
*Plant Poisoning in NZ, SciQuest

Treatment: medication can help in some cases


Which NZ native plant is the most toxic?
Tutu, which contains a poison called tutin which has powerful convulsant effects on animals and people.

Is it poisonous?
If you aren’t sure whether a plant or chemical is toxic and your animal (livestock, pet) has just eaten it, you are allowed to ring the National Poisons Centre free on 0800 POISON (0800 764 766). While their priority is the treatment of people, if they are not busy they are more than happy to help out with queries regarding animals.

When to call the vet
Immediately if you even suspect poisoning. Some livestock can be given supportive care, others will need to be euthanized.

2 natives that you don’t want to mess with - thisNZlife