Authority:

Luteyn, James L., et al. 1995. Ericaceae, Part II. The Superior-Ovaried Genera (Monotropoideae, Pyroloideae, Rhododendroideae, and Vaccinioideae P.P.). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 66: 560. (Published by NYBG Press)

Family:

Ericaceae

Synonyms:

Gaultheria mutisiana Cuatrec., Gaultheria stuebeliana Sleumer

Description:

Species Description - Rhizomatous subshrub, often repent, usually 1-2 dm tall; mature stems subterete or bluntly angled, striate, moderately to densely hirsute with basally swollen, ferruginous, straight or crisped, eglandular or gland-tipped hairs to 2 mm long, glabrate, also provided with numerous, deciduous, striate, ovate, apically rounded, dorsally white puberulent, ciliolate and marginally glandular pubescent bracts to 5 mm long, each provided with a vegetative bud in its axil; twigs subterete to complanate, sometimes flexuous, glabrous or white puberulent to short-pilose, also densely hirsute as mature stem, reddish-brown when dry; buds terete, ovoid to ca. 5 mm long, scales numerous, ovate, acute to obtuse, striate, puberulent, ciliolate, marginally glandular pubescent. Leaves coriaceous, often bullate, usually obovate but also frequently elliptic to subrotund, rarely ovate, 2.5-6.5 × 1.8-4 cm, base acute or broadly cuneate to rounded, apex rounded or obtuse to acute, with a blunt, glandular mucro, margin obscurely crenate to crenate-serrate, with each tooth terminating in a deciduous, distally crisped, eglandular or gland-tipped hair to 2 mm long, lamina obscurely short-pilose along nerves above especially the midrib at base, also sometimes weakly hirsute with deciduous, minutely gland-tipped hairs to 1 mm long especially distally, moderately hirsute beneath with persistent or deciduous, distally crisped, eglandular or gland-tipped hairs these leaving punctae after they fall; midrib impressed above and raised beneath, thickened at base, lateral nerves 3-4 per side, impressed above or weakly impressed at base and plane towards apex, raised beneath, reticulate veinlets obscure to raised above, raised and ± conspicuous beneath; petiole subterete, flattened dorsally, narrowly canaliculate, rugose, 2-5 mm long, puberulent and hirsute with eglandular or gland-tipped hairs, glabrate. Inflorescence axillary, racemose (4-)6-12-flowered, surrounded at the base by numerous, striate, elliptic-ovate, obtuse, ciliolate bracts to ca. 5 mm long; rachis complanate, striate, 0.5-5 cm long, usually densely white puberulent, also usually moderately to densely hirsute with ferruginous, straight or crisped, eglandular or minutely gland-tipped hairs to ca. 1 mm long; pedicels terete, striate, 3-7 mm long, puberulent and usually also glandular pubescent as rachis; bracteoles subopposite, spreading, often striate, located along the middle of the pedicel, ovate, 3-4(-5) × 0.7-1.2 mm, acuminate, the lamina glabrous or dorsally short-pilose and sometimes glandular-hirsute, ciliolate; floral bract subcoriaceous, erect to slightly spreading, sometimes cochleariform, striate, elliptic-ovate to oblanceolate, 5-8 × 2.5-3 mm, acute, the lamina glabrous to dorsally short-pilose and sometimes glandular-hirsute. Calyx 4-6 mm long, white puberulent, also sometimes densely glandular-hirsute as rachis, lobes ovate, 3-4(-5) × ca. 2 mm, long-acuminate, smooth or striate, densely ciliolate, glabrous within; corolla urceolate, terete or pentagonal, 6-7 × 3.5-4.5 mm, short-pilose with white hairs without and also usually hirsute with translucent to ferruginous, short, eglandular to minutely gland-tipped hairs, short-pilose within, pink to dark rose or red when fresh, lobes ovate, obtuse, to 1 mm long, whitish; stamens 10, 4.5-5 mm long; filaments 4 mm long, short-pilose especially basally; anthers 2.7 mm long, awns prominent; ovary puberulent; style 3-4 mm long, inserted, glabrous or weakly short-pilose at base. Fruiting calyx 5-8 mm diam., blue-black.

Discussion:

Fruit said to be edible (Ruiz Terán & López-Palacios 1574).

Gaultheria hapalotricha is characterized by the creeping, rhizomatous habit; usually obovate to subrotund, often bullate leaves; and high-elevation upper cloud forest to paramo habitat. The leaves, hairs, and bracts on rhizomes are often bright reddish, and when the buds are exposed to the light they produce stems. The corollas and bracts are whitish when covered by the soil or dense mossy or humic layer, but they become red when exposed to the light. The Bolivian populations have all parts of the inflorescence (rachis, pedicels, calyx, corolla) densely hirsute-setose with minutely gland-tipped hairs, and are otherwise similar to those of Venezuela and Colombia.

Gaultheria hapalotricha is related to G. erecta but is easily distinguished by its rhizomatous, subshrub habit.

Distribution:

Colombia South America| Cundinamarca Colombia South America| Santander Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Lara Venezuela South America| Mérida Venezuela South America| Táchira Venezuela South America| Trujillo Venezuela South America| Peru South America| Bolivia South America| La Paz Bolivia South America|

Common Names:

cacahuito, cacagüito, mistela