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
Description:
Species Description - Erect shrub 1-1.5 m tall; stems subterete, somewhat ribbed, glabrous; bark thin, exfoliating in strips; twigs subterete, angled, striate, deciduously puberulent and strigose; buds complanate or angled, bracts ovate, striate, ciliate. Leaves coriaceous, flat or slightly concave, elliptic, (1-) 1.3-2 × (0.6-)0.7-1.2 cm, base rounded or broadly obtuse, apex acute with a sessile, blunt, terminal gland, margin conspicuously and regularly crenate with each tooth blunt and terminating in a tiny, deciduous, glandular seta, nitid and essentially glabrous above or minutely and deciduously puberulent along midrib, essentially glabrous beneath but with midrib reddish-black punctate, these punctae sometimes producing basally swollen, short-glandular-setose hairs ca. 0.2-0.3 mm long or eglandular setae to 1 mm long; midrib impressed above and conspicuously raised beneath, lateral nerves (4-5 per side) impressed, flat, or raised above and raised beneath, reticulate veinlets impressed to slightly raised above and conspicuously raised beneath; petiole subterete, rugose, striate, shallowly but broadly canaliculate above, 1.5-2 mm long, punctate. Inflorescence axillary, flowers nodding, solitary in axils of normal upper leaves or slightly reduced leaves near branch tips; pedicel terete, striate, 5-8 mm long but lengthening to 1 cm after anthesis, short-pilose with white hairs and also moderately to densely strigose with short, crisped, ferruginous, basally slightly swollen, eglandular hairs to 0.5-0.75 mm long; bracteoles ca. 4-9, basal or scattered along basal half of pedicel, mostly deciduous, ovate to ovate-elliptic, carinate, striate, acute, to ca. 3.5 mm long, densely ciliolate; floral bract similar to bracteoles. Flowers with calyx ca. 5 mm long, sparsely and deciduously short-setose as pedicels, lobes ovate, ca. 4 mm long, acuminate, ciliolate, glabrous or only sparsely short-pilose apically without and densely short-pilose within; corolla urceolate to cylindric-urceolate, apparently 5-angled, 5-8 x 4-5 mm, sparsely short-white-pilose at base, weakly strigose along angles in basal half, pilose within, "white with pinkish lobes," the lobes ovate, obtuse, ca. 1 mm long; stamens ca. 5 mm long; filaments ca. 3.5 mm long, densely pilose; anthers ca. 2 mm long, awns short but conspicuous; ovary densely short-pilose, canescent; style ca. 4 mm long, sparsely short-pilose basally. Fruiting calyx apparently globose, ca. 6 mm diam.
Species Description - Erect shrub 1-1.5 m tall; stems subterete, somewhat ribbed, glabrous; bark thin, exfoliating in strips; twigs subterete, angled, striate, deciduously puberulent and strigose; buds complanate or angled, bracts ovate, striate, ciliate. Leaves coriaceous, flat or slightly concave, elliptic, (1-) 1.3-2 × (0.6-)0.7-1.2 cm, base rounded or broadly obtuse, apex acute with a sessile, blunt, terminal gland, margin conspicuously and regularly crenate with each tooth blunt and terminating in a tiny, deciduous, glandular seta, nitid and essentially glabrous above or minutely and deciduously puberulent along midrib, essentially glabrous beneath but with midrib reddish-black punctate, these punctae sometimes producing basally swollen, short-glandular-setose hairs ca. 0.2-0.3 mm long or eglandular setae to 1 mm long; midrib impressed above and conspicuously raised beneath, lateral nerves (4-5 per side) impressed, flat, or raised above and raised beneath, reticulate veinlets impressed to slightly raised above and conspicuously raised beneath; petiole subterete, rugose, striate, shallowly but broadly canaliculate above, 1.5-2 mm long, punctate. Inflorescence axillary, flowers nodding, solitary in axils of normal upper leaves or slightly reduced leaves near branch tips; pedicel terete, striate, 5-8 mm long but lengthening to 1 cm after anthesis, short-pilose with white hairs and also moderately to densely strigose with short, crisped, ferruginous, basally slightly swollen, eglandular hairs to 0.5-0.75 mm long; bracteoles ca. 4-9, basal or scattered along basal half of pedicel, mostly deciduous, ovate to ovate-elliptic, carinate, striate, acute, to ca. 3.5 mm long, densely ciliolate; floral bract similar to bracteoles. Flowers with calyx ca. 5 mm long, sparsely and deciduously short-setose as pedicels, lobes ovate, ca. 4 mm long, acuminate, ciliolate, glabrous or only sparsely short-pilose apically without and densely short-pilose within; corolla urceolate to cylindric-urceolate, apparently 5-angled, 5-8 x 4-5 mm, sparsely short-white-pilose at base, weakly strigose along angles in basal half, pilose within, "white with pinkish lobes," the lobes ovate, obtuse, ca. 1 mm long; stamens ca. 5 mm long; filaments ca. 3.5 mm long, densely pilose; anthers ca. 2 mm long, awns short but conspicuous; ovary densely short-pilose, canescent; style ca. 4 mm long, sparsely short-pilose basally. Fruiting calyx apparently globose, ca. 6 mm diam.
Discussion:
Gaultheria steyermarkii is characterized by its relatively large, solitary and axillary flowers, pilose and crisped-setose pedicels, numerous and persistent bracteoles, basally strigose calyx, apparently 5angled and proximally pilose and strigose corolla, and densely pilose-canescent ovary. Its taxonomic affinities belong with G. anastomosans, which occurs in the Andes from Colombia to western Venezuela (where it is rare), and with G. buxifolia, which ranges from Colombia into the Coastal Cordillera of Venezuela east to above Caracas. All three species are erect shrubs with solitary, axillary flowers more or less hidden by the leaves, small coriaceous leaves less than 3 cm long (usually smaller) that are ovate to elliptic and more or less flat, and white to pinkish corollas. Gaultheria steyermarkii is morphologically most similar to G. buxifolia but differs by its ascending (vs. usually spreading or reflexed) leaves at maturity, glabrous (not pilose) floral bracts and bracteoles, presence of strigose hairs in the basal half of the calyx and corolla, and proportionately longer calyx lobes. It differs from G. anastomosans by its deciduously puberulent (vs. usually sparsely to densely puberulent to short-pilose) twigs, elliptic leaves with crenate margins (vs. ovate to narrowly ovate leaves with serrate margins), and inflorescences always of solitary flowers (never pseudoracemose).
Gaultheria steyermarkii is characterized by its relatively large, solitary and axillary flowers, pilose and crisped-setose pedicels, numerous and persistent bracteoles, basally strigose calyx, apparently 5angled and proximally pilose and strigose corolla, and densely pilose-canescent ovary. Its taxonomic affinities belong with G. anastomosans, which occurs in the Andes from Colombia to western Venezuela (where it is rare), and with G. buxifolia, which ranges from Colombia into the Coastal Cordillera of Venezuela east to above Caracas. All three species are erect shrubs with solitary, axillary flowers more or less hidden by the leaves, small coriaceous leaves less than 3 cm long (usually smaller) that are ovate to elliptic and more or less flat, and white to pinkish corollas. Gaultheria steyermarkii is morphologically most similar to G. buxifolia but differs by its ascending (vs. usually spreading or reflexed) leaves at maturity, glabrous (not pilose) floral bracts and bracteoles, presence of strigose hairs in the basal half of the calyx and corolla, and proportionately longer calyx lobes. It differs from G. anastomosans by its deciduously puberulent (vs. usually sparsely to densely puberulent to short-pilose) twigs, elliptic leaves with crenate margins (vs. ovate to narrowly ovate leaves with serrate margins), and inflorescences always of solitary flowers (never pseudoracemose).
Distribution:
Sucre Venezuela South America| Venezuela South America|
Sucre Venezuela South America| Venezuela South America|
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