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 marginata (N.E.Br.) Middleton

Description:

Species Description - Erect shrub, (0.3-)0.6-1 m tall, bisexual; mature branches terete to subterete, glabrous, sometimes with odor of wintergreen (Steyermark et al. 1260]4); twigs glabrous to densely puberulous and usually also laxly hirsute to short-setulose with straight, multicellular, gland-tipped hairs to 1.2 mm long. Leaves thick-coriaceous, ovate, oblong-ovate, or elliptic, (7-)9-20(-30) × 5-10(-12) mm, base rounded or obtuse and short-attenuate, apex acute to subacuminate, margin thickened and slightly revolute, crenate with (4-)6-10(-15) teeth per side, these each bristle-tipped with caducous, multicellular, multiseriate, glandular hairs to 0.2 mm long, glabrous or weakly puberulent along midrib above, glabrous or weakly puberulent and also sometimes weakly hirsute-setulose with multicellular, gland-tipped hairs on lamina and midrib beneath, nitid above; midrib impressed above and elevated beneath, secondary veins weakly impressed or raised above but prominent and slightly raised beneath (raised on both surfaces); petiole 1-3.5 mm long, glabrous or weakly puberulent adaxially (short-hirsute abaxially). Flowers with pedicels (2-)4-11(-13) mm long, weakly puberulent to densely short-pilose (glabrous), and usually also laxly setulose with reddish, straight or crisped, multicellular, gland-tipped hairs; bracts and bracteoles indistinguishable, there being 4-5 bracts at the base of the pedicel and up to 8 scattered from the base to the apex, bracts ovate, clasping, 2-4 mm long, margin scarious, short-ciliate and often short-setose with multicellular multiseriate, gland-tipped hairs; calyx lobes deltate-ovate, 3-5 mm long, acuminate, glabrous or margin ciliate, especially distally, and usually laxly glandular setose at base; corolla urceolate-ventricose, 7-9 mm long, 4-5 mm in basal diam., white at base and rosaceous at apex, or totally reddish, lobes 1.5-2 mm long, recurved; stamens 10; filaments 2.5-3 mm long, glabrous or margin conspicuously long-pilose; ovary globose, glabrous or short-pilose, style 3.5-5 mm long, glabrous. Berry globose, 8-9(-14) mm diam., glabrous or laxly short-pilose, dark blue-black when mature.

Discussion:

Pernettya marginata is characterized by its large corollas, usually gland-tipped, hirsute-setose hairs of the stem and pedicels, glabrous or long-pilose filaments, leaves nitid with venation often conspicuous on both surfaces; it is known only from the Guayana Highlands. These characters are of themselves quite variable, but their combination along with a geographically restricted distribution seems to define a valid species.

Sleumer (1985) characterized the filaments as pilose; however, the larger number of specimens available to me shows about equal numbers of pilose and glabrous filaments, and these sometimes mixed in a single population. Variation in the inflorescence is also widespread. Normally flowers are solitary in leaf axils (typical for the genus), but some scattered collections show apparently true racemes (Pinkus 114, NY, Cerro Roraima; Steyermark 94075, NY, Auyan-tepui; Huber et al. 8909, MYF, Macizo del Chimanta), or on the same plant solitary flowers

Distribution:

Venezuela South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America|