Monographs Details:
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)
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
Ericaceae
Synonyms:
Gaulthettya oaxacana Camp
Gaulthettya oaxacana Camp
Description:
Species Description - Erect, much-branched shrub, 0.2-1.5 m tall; mature stems terete, smooth, glabrous; bark grayish-brown, thin, exfoliating; twigs subterete, striate, weakly puberulent and also usually weakly to densely hirsute with straight or crisped, eglandular or gland-tipped, ascending or spreading hairs to 1 mm long, glabrate; buds ovate to fusiform, scales densely short-pilose dorsally and densely ciliate. Leaves subcoriaceous, oblong-elliptic to narrowly ovate, rarely subrotund, 1.5-3.5(-4) × (0.7-)1-1.8 cm, base obtuse to rounded or broadly cuneate, apex acute, rarely rounded, apex itself a short, blunt, glandular mucro, margin serrate with each tooth terminating in a tiny glandular hair, essentially glabrous to very finely puberulent over entire surface or rarely sparsely strigose above, glabrous beneath but usually punctate or bearing tiny, basally swollen, strigulose, glandular hairs ca. 0.1 mm long; midrib impressed above, lateral nerves (3-5 per side) slightly impressed but obscure above, reticulate veinlets slightly raised but obscure above, all veins conspicuous and slightly raised beneath with veinlets noticeably reticulate; petiole subterete, canaliculate above, rugose, 2-5 mm long, puberulent above, glabrate. Inflorescence with flowers solitary in axils of upper leaves (in hybrids with G. erecta, short racemes with ca. 3 flowers mixed with solitary flowers on same branch); pedicels subterete, 4-10 mm long, short-pilose with white hairs, also weakly to moderately hirsute with thin, straight to crisped, elgandular to minutely gland-tipped, ferruginous hairs; bracteoles 3-10, scattered over length of pedicel, spreading, somewhat cochleariform, striate, ovate to obovate, 3-5 × 2-2.8 mm, acute, dorsally glabrous, ventrally glabrous to sparsely puberulent, ciliate; floral bract indistinguishable from bracteoles. Flowers with calyx 4-4.3 mm long, glabrous or very rarely puberulent, lobes broadly ovate, 2.5-3.5 × 2-2.8 mm, acuminate, ciliate, puberulent within; corolla urceolate, terete, 5.5-7.8 × 5-6.5 mm, externally white short-pilose and also strigose with straight or crisped, eglandular to gland-tipped, ferruginous hairs, internally densely short-pilose, white to pinkish when fresh, lobes ovate, ca. 1 mm long, obtuse; stamens 4.8-6 mm long; filaments 3-5 mm long, densely short-pilose; anther 2-2.5 mm long, awns conspicuous; ovary densely short-pilose, sometimes canescent; style to 6 mm long, short-pilose at base. Fruiting calyx globose, 9-10 mm diam., glabrous, dark blue-black.
Species Description - Erect, much-branched shrub, 0.2-1.5 m tall; mature stems terete, smooth, glabrous; bark grayish-brown, thin, exfoliating; twigs subterete, striate, weakly puberulent and also usually weakly to densely hirsute with straight or crisped, eglandular or gland-tipped, ascending or spreading hairs to 1 mm long, glabrate; buds ovate to fusiform, scales densely short-pilose dorsally and densely ciliate. Leaves subcoriaceous, oblong-elliptic to narrowly ovate, rarely subrotund, 1.5-3.5(-4) × (0.7-)1-1.8 cm, base obtuse to rounded or broadly cuneate, apex acute, rarely rounded, apex itself a short, blunt, glandular mucro, margin serrate with each tooth terminating in a tiny glandular hair, essentially glabrous to very finely puberulent over entire surface or rarely sparsely strigose above, glabrous beneath but usually punctate or bearing tiny, basally swollen, strigulose, glandular hairs ca. 0.1 mm long; midrib impressed above, lateral nerves (3-5 per side) slightly impressed but obscure above, reticulate veinlets slightly raised but obscure above, all veins conspicuous and slightly raised beneath with veinlets noticeably reticulate; petiole subterete, canaliculate above, rugose, 2-5 mm long, puberulent above, glabrate. Inflorescence with flowers solitary in axils of upper leaves (in hybrids with G. erecta, short racemes with ca. 3 flowers mixed with solitary flowers on same branch); pedicels subterete, 4-10 mm long, short-pilose with white hairs, also weakly to moderately hirsute with thin, straight to crisped, elgandular to minutely gland-tipped, ferruginous hairs; bracteoles 3-10, scattered over length of pedicel, spreading, somewhat cochleariform, striate, ovate to obovate, 3-5 × 2-2.8 mm, acute, dorsally glabrous, ventrally glabrous to sparsely puberulent, ciliate; floral bract indistinguishable from bracteoles. Flowers with calyx 4-4.3 mm long, glabrous or very rarely puberulent, lobes broadly ovate, 2.5-3.5 × 2-2.8 mm, acuminate, ciliate, puberulent within; corolla urceolate, terete, 5.5-7.8 × 5-6.5 mm, externally white short-pilose and also strigose with straight or crisped, eglandular to gland-tipped, ferruginous hairs, internally densely short-pilose, white to pinkish when fresh, lobes ovate, ca. 1 mm long, obtuse; stamens 4.8-6 mm long; filaments 3-5 mm long, densely short-pilose; anther 2-2.5 mm long, awns conspicuous; ovary densely short-pilose, sometimes canescent; style to 6 mm long, short-pilose at base. Fruiting calyx globose, 9-10 mm diam., glabrous, dark blue-black.
Discussion:
The fruits are used as food by the Chinantee and Mije Indians in Oaxaca (Schultes, 1941). Lawton 799 (NY) states that the flowers were visited by hummingbirds.Gaultheria schultesii is characterized by its small leaves and solitary-flowered inflorescence. It is the only solitary-flowered species in Mexico and Central America. In three cases, however- viz., Camp 2414 (type of x Gaulthettya oxacana), Camp 2659pp, and Croat 48138- I have seen both solitary flowers and few-flowered racemes on the same plant. The rare occurrence of racemose inflorescences and the fact that pedicels of solitary flowers possess numerous bracteoles strongly suggest that this species is either a recent derivative of a raceme-bearing ancestor or, and more likely, that it is hybridizing with a species with racemose inflorescences. I think G. schultesii rarely hybridizes with G. erecta- a species that often grows at the same sites.In those collections that show solitary flowers and racemes, the inflorescences may be described as follows: rachis subterete, bluntly angled, striate, 1.5-2 cm long, densely white short-pilose, also sparsely hirsute with straight or crisped, eglandular, ferruginous hairs; pedicels subterete, 4-6 mm long, pubescent as rachis; bracteoles 2, located below middle of pedicel, spreading, ovate, acumiate, striate, 3-4 × 0.1-0.2 mm, glabrous to short-pilose all over; floral bract subcoriaceous, cochleariform, striate, oblanceolate, acuminate, 4-5 × 2-3 mm, ciliate.Because of the rare occurrence of specimens with solitary flowers and few-flowered racemes on the same plant, Corcoran (1981) confused G. schultesii with G. parvifolia and G. conzattii var. mijorum and used Small’s name for the solitary-flowered populations. I believe that G. parvifolia and G. conzattii var. mijorum are merely small-leaved forms of the widespread G. erecta. This confusion is outlined in more detail in the discussion under G. erecta.Furthermore, Camp (1941c) felt that the inflorescence of G. schultesii (as well as other unnamed South American species) related it more closely to the genus Pernettya than to Gaultheria. I suspect he said this because of the occurrence of numerous bracteoles along each pedicel in these taxa, which is also common in Pernettya but occurs only in the solitary-flowered species in Gaultheria.I see no reason to recognize Camp’s x Gaulthettya oaxacana. It may be a hybrid between G. schultesii and G. erecta, although it can easily be accommodated in G. schultesii with only very minor changes in the concept. It is only known from the type collection and is found at a locality where both species are common. Because of its sterile, collapsed pollen grains, Corcoran (1981) followed Camp and recognized it as a hybrid between Pernettya (P. mexicana Camp fide Camp, 1939a; P. ciliata Schlechtendal & Chamisso sensu lato fide Corcoran, 1981; P. prostrata (Cavanilles) DC. fide Luteyn, 1992) and Gaultheria (G. conzattii var. conzattii fide Camp; G. trichocalycina or G. parvifolia fide Corcoran). I agree that the pollen is collapsed and does not stain with cotton-blue plus lactophenol, but if it is a hybrid, then I would suggest instead it is an infrageneric hybrid between G. schultesii and G. erecta since it strongly resembles G. schultesii and does not have the combination of characters seemingly typical of Gaultheria × Pernettya hybrids (see "Hybridization").Middleton (1991b) related G. schultesii (he called it G. parvifolia following Corcoran’s nomenclature) to the racemose species of Gaultheria in sect. Brossaea, not to the solitary-flowered species in sect. Monanthemona ser. Antipodae. I agree with this but see also the discussion under "Infrageneric Relationships."
The fruits are used as food by the Chinantee and Mije Indians in Oaxaca (Schultes, 1941). Lawton 799 (NY) states that the flowers were visited by hummingbirds.Gaultheria schultesii is characterized by its small leaves and solitary-flowered inflorescence. It is the only solitary-flowered species in Mexico and Central America. In three cases, however- viz., Camp 2414 (type of x Gaulthettya oxacana), Camp 2659pp, and Croat 48138- I have seen both solitary flowers and few-flowered racemes on the same plant. The rare occurrence of racemose inflorescences and the fact that pedicels of solitary flowers possess numerous bracteoles strongly suggest that this species is either a recent derivative of a raceme-bearing ancestor or, and more likely, that it is hybridizing with a species with racemose inflorescences. I think G. schultesii rarely hybridizes with G. erecta- a species that often grows at the same sites.In those collections that show solitary flowers and racemes, the inflorescences may be described as follows: rachis subterete, bluntly angled, striate, 1.5-2 cm long, densely white short-pilose, also sparsely hirsute with straight or crisped, eglandular, ferruginous hairs; pedicels subterete, 4-6 mm long, pubescent as rachis; bracteoles 2, located below middle of pedicel, spreading, ovate, acumiate, striate, 3-4 × 0.1-0.2 mm, glabrous to short-pilose all over; floral bract subcoriaceous, cochleariform, striate, oblanceolate, acuminate, 4-5 × 2-3 mm, ciliate.Because of the rare occurrence of specimens with solitary flowers and few-flowered racemes on the same plant, Corcoran (1981) confused G. schultesii with G. parvifolia and G. conzattii var. mijorum and used Small’s name for the solitary-flowered populations. I believe that G. parvifolia and G. conzattii var. mijorum are merely small-leaved forms of the widespread G. erecta. This confusion is outlined in more detail in the discussion under G. erecta.Furthermore, Camp (1941c) felt that the inflorescence of G. schultesii (as well as other unnamed South American species) related it more closely to the genus Pernettya than to Gaultheria. I suspect he said this because of the occurrence of numerous bracteoles along each pedicel in these taxa, which is also common in Pernettya but occurs only in the solitary-flowered species in Gaultheria.I see no reason to recognize Camp’s x Gaulthettya oaxacana. It may be a hybrid between G. schultesii and G. erecta, although it can easily be accommodated in G. schultesii with only very minor changes in the concept. It is only known from the type collection and is found at a locality where both species are common. Because of its sterile, collapsed pollen grains, Corcoran (1981) followed Camp and recognized it as a hybrid between Pernettya (P. mexicana Camp fide Camp, 1939a; P. ciliata Schlechtendal & Chamisso sensu lato fide Corcoran, 1981; P. prostrata (Cavanilles) DC. fide Luteyn, 1992) and Gaultheria (G. conzattii var. conzattii fide Camp; G. trichocalycina or G. parvifolia fide Corcoran). I agree that the pollen is collapsed and does not stain with cotton-blue plus lactophenol, but if it is a hybrid, then I would suggest instead it is an infrageneric hybrid between G. schultesii and G. erecta since it strongly resembles G. schultesii and does not have the combination of characters seemingly typical of Gaultheria × Pernettya hybrids (see "Hybridization").Middleton (1991b) related G. schultesii (he called it G. parvifolia following Corcoran’s nomenclature) to the racemose species of Gaultheria in sect. Brossaea, not to the solitary-flowered species in sect. Monanthemona ser. Antipodae. I agree with this but see also the discussion under "Infrageneric Relationships."
Distribution:
Mexico North America| Oaxaca Mexico North America|
Mexico North America| Oaxaca Mexico North America|
Common Names:
tzinutpe, capulincillo del diablo
tzinutpe, capulincillo del diablo
Multimedia:
