Taxon Details: Gaultheria strigosa Benth.
Taxon Profile:
Narratives:
Family:
Ericaceae (Magnoliophyta)
Ericaceae (Magnoliophyta)
Scientific Name:
Gaultheria strigosa Benth.
Gaultheria strigosa Benth.
Accepted Name:
This name is currently accepted.
This name is currently accepted.
Description:
Description: Erect shrub (epiphytic), 0.5-2.5 m tall; mature stems terete, striate, scabrous (from persistent bases of deciduous strigose indumentum) to densely appressed-strigose with basally swollen, rigid, straight, eglandular, tan or golden to ferruginous hairs to 2.5 mm long (glabrate); bark brown to gray, cracking into thin, longitudinal strips; twigs subterete, striate, densely strigose as stems; buds ovate, complanate, scales brown, essentially glabrous. Leaves stiff-coriaceous, surface often strongly bullate, ovate to elliptic, upper surface smooth to pustulate, (1.1-)1.5-5.5(-9) x 0.4-1.6(-4) cm, base rounded to cuneate or ± attenuate, apex acute to acuminate, sometimes sharply and abruptly acuminate, margin remotely to compactly crenate with each tooth terminating in a usually persistent, rigid hair to 2 mm long, margin plane to tightly revolute, glabrous to sparsely strigose above and strigose beneath with a mixture of short to long hairs (0.5-3.5 mm), ± evenly spaced or concentrated along veins; midrib strongly impressed above and conspicuously raised beneath, reticulate veinlets slightly raised or impressed above and raised beneath; petiole terete, flattened above, 2-3(-10) mm long, strigose. Inflorescence racemose, 1-8(-13)-flowered, basally with 4-10 decussate, sterile bracts; rachis subterete, striate, 1-2.5(-4) cm long, densely strigose to villous-strigose with straight to somewhat crisped hairs; pedicels subterete, striate, 4-7 mm long, densely strigose or hirsute as on rachis; bracteoles apparently continuous with pedicels (connate at their bases), located at or just above the base, ovate, keeled, 2-2.5(-5) x 2-3 mm, acute to long-acuminate, sparsely strigose (ciliolate); floral bract apparently continuous with rachis, ovate, keeled, ± striate, 3-4.5(-8) x 1.5-2(-4) mm, long-acuminate, sparsely strigose (ciliolate). Flowers with calyx usually densely appressed- strigose to villous-strigose (lanate) with straight to crisped, golden to ferruginous hairs, surface obscured from view (glabrate to glabrous), 3-4 mm long, lobes ovate, 2-3 mm long, acute to long-acuminate, glabrous within; corolla cylindric-urceolate, bluntly 5-angled, 5-8(-10) x 4-6(-7) mm, strigose especially along angles with usually straight or crisped hairs, red when fresh, lobes oblong, ca. 1 mm long, obtuse; stamens 3.5-4.8(-5.2) mm long; filaments 2.4-4.2 mm long, glabrous or pilose; anthers 1.4-1.6(-2) mm long, awns minute; ovary sparsely to densely short-pilose; style 3-3.4(-4) mm long, glabrous (pilose especially at base). Fruiting calyx globose, 6-12 mm diam., persistently strigose or glabrate, blue-black or white, the fleshy calyx lobes usually spreading away from the capsule.
Distribution: Found from extreme W Venezuela to Ecuador with two collections from central Peru. The species inhabits cloud or montane forest edges, páramo scrub or thickets, and Sphagnum-Ericaceae bogs at elevations of (1800-)2400-3400(-3950) m. Flowering and fruiting occur throughout the year.
Type: Colombia. Cundinamarca: Páramo de San Fortunato nr. Bogotá, Hartweg 1211 (holotype, K, photo NY s.n., frag. NY; isotypes, B, destroyed, photo F neg. 476l, BM, C, CGE, E, frag. F, FI-Webb, G, GH, LD, NY, OXF, P, W).
Key to Varieties of Gaultheria strigosa:
1. Lamina with margins nearly plane or only slightly revolute, greater than 10 mm broad, basally acute to cuneate; calyx densely strigose or rarely glabrous; common in Colombia, rare in W Venezuela and C Peru ........... var. strigosa
1. Lamina with margins tightly revolute or conspicuously inwardly curled, 5-8 mm broad, basally rounded to obtuse or acute; calyx densely strigose; common at high elevations in Ecuador, less common in Colombia ............ var. revoluta
Description: Erect shrub (epiphytic), 0.5-2.5 m tall; mature stems terete, striate, scabrous (from persistent bases of deciduous strigose indumentum) to densely appressed-strigose with basally swollen, rigid, straight, eglandular, tan or golden to ferruginous hairs to 2.5 mm long (glabrate); bark brown to gray, cracking into thin, longitudinal strips; twigs subterete, striate, densely strigose as stems; buds ovate, complanate, scales brown, essentially glabrous. Leaves stiff-coriaceous, surface often strongly bullate, ovate to elliptic, upper surface smooth to pustulate, (1.1-)1.5-5.5(-9) x 0.4-1.6(-4) cm, base rounded to cuneate or ± attenuate, apex acute to acuminate, sometimes sharply and abruptly acuminate, margin remotely to compactly crenate with each tooth terminating in a usually persistent, rigid hair to 2 mm long, margin plane to tightly revolute, glabrous to sparsely strigose above and strigose beneath with a mixture of short to long hairs (0.5-3.5 mm), ± evenly spaced or concentrated along veins; midrib strongly impressed above and conspicuously raised beneath, reticulate veinlets slightly raised or impressed above and raised beneath; petiole terete, flattened above, 2-3(-10) mm long, strigose. Inflorescence racemose, 1-8(-13)-flowered, basally with 4-10 decussate, sterile bracts; rachis subterete, striate, 1-2.5(-4) cm long, densely strigose to villous-strigose with straight to somewhat crisped hairs; pedicels subterete, striate, 4-7 mm long, densely strigose or hirsute as on rachis; bracteoles apparently continuous with pedicels (connate at their bases), located at or just above the base, ovate, keeled, 2-2.5(-5) x 2-3 mm, acute to long-acuminate, sparsely strigose (ciliolate); floral bract apparently continuous with rachis, ovate, keeled, ± striate, 3-4.5(-8) x 1.5-2(-4) mm, long-acuminate, sparsely strigose (ciliolate). Flowers with calyx usually densely appressed- strigose to villous-strigose (lanate) with straight to crisped, golden to ferruginous hairs, surface obscured from view (glabrate to glabrous), 3-4 mm long, lobes ovate, 2-3 mm long, acute to long-acuminate, glabrous within; corolla cylindric-urceolate, bluntly 5-angled, 5-8(-10) x 4-6(-7) mm, strigose especially along angles with usually straight or crisped hairs, red when fresh, lobes oblong, ca. 1 mm long, obtuse; stamens 3.5-4.8(-5.2) mm long; filaments 2.4-4.2 mm long, glabrous or pilose; anthers 1.4-1.6(-2) mm long, awns minute; ovary sparsely to densely short-pilose; style 3-3.4(-4) mm long, glabrous (pilose especially at base). Fruiting calyx globose, 6-12 mm diam., persistently strigose or glabrate, blue-black or white, the fleshy calyx lobes usually spreading away from the capsule.
Distribution: Found from extreme W Venezuela to Ecuador with two collections from central Peru. The species inhabits cloud or montane forest edges, páramo scrub or thickets, and Sphagnum-Ericaceae bogs at elevations of (1800-)2400-3400(-3950) m. Flowering and fruiting occur throughout the year.
Type: Colombia. Cundinamarca: Páramo de San Fortunato nr. Bogotá, Hartweg 1211 (holotype, K, photo NY s.n., frag. NY; isotypes, B, destroyed, photo F neg. 476l, BM, C, CGE, E, frag. F, FI-Webb, G, GH, LD, NY, OXF, P, W).
Key to Varieties of Gaultheria strigosa:
1. Lamina with margins nearly plane or only slightly revolute, greater than 10 mm broad, basally acute to cuneate; calyx densely strigose or rarely glabrous; common in Colombia, rare in W Venezuela and C Peru ........... var. strigosa
1. Lamina with margins tightly revolute or conspicuously inwardly curled, 5-8 mm broad, basally rounded to obtuse or acute; calyx densely strigose; common at high elevations in Ecuador, less common in Colombia ............ var. revoluta
Flora and Monograph Treatment(s):
Gaultheria strigosa Benth.: [Article] 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.
Gaultheria strigosa Benth.: [Article] 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.