Root Nodules of Coriaria

Abstract

THE shrubby genus Coriaria is one of the eight non-legume Angiospermous genera known to have the capacity of forming root nodules in response to infection from the soil by a symbiotic organism. In some instances, in confirmation of earlier work, the nodules of most of these genera have been shown by my collaborators and me^1,2 to be nitrogen-fixing, but, despite efforts extending over several years, I have not yet raised nodulated plants of Coriaria in culture, owing to an apparent difficulty in securing infection of the roots under artificial conditions. However, the results of Kataoka³ make it probable that Coriaria nodules also are nitrogen-fixing.