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 vaccinioides var. humilis Wedd., Gaultheria saxicola Wedd., Gaultheria barosmoides Rusby

Description:

Species Description - Rhizomatous or stoloniferous, caespitose subshrub ca. 1 dm tall, to erect thick-stemmed shrub to 0.4(to rarely 2) m tall; mature stem terete, striate, glabrous; bark exfoliating in rectangular strips, reddish-brown; twigs subterete, bluntly angled, striate, puberulent and strigose to hirsute with basally swollen, eglandular, ferruginous, straight hairs to 1.5 mm long; buds ovate, complanate, scales ciliate otherwise glabrous. Leaves ovate, elliptic-ovate, to narrowly elliptic, (0.6-)0.9-1.8(-2.3) × (0.4-)0.6-1.1(-1.5) cm, base obtuse to rounded, or broadly cuneate and short-attenuate, apex acute (rounded), margin slightly incurved, conspicuously serrate to coarsely and bluntly toothed, glabrous above, scattered setose along lamina beneath with gland-tipped, often deciduous hairs to 0.2 mm long (also weakly strigose along midvein), midrib plane to slightly raised or impressed above and raised and conspicuous beneath, lateral nerves (2-3 per side) plane to slightly raised or impressed above and raised and conspicuous beneath, reticulate veinlets obscure above, slightly raised and ± conspicuous beneath; petiole subterete, flattened above, 1-2 mm long, puberulent to glabrous above. Inflorescence with flowers solitary in axils of normal leaves; pedicels subterete, 2-7(-11) mm long at anthesis but lengthening to 15 mm in fruit, puberulent or not (also short-hirsute with straight or crisped, eglandular or weakly gland-tipped hairs, or also mixed with setose gland-tipped hairs to 0.5 mm long, or puberulent only); bracteoles 2-6(-9), scattered along pedicel, ovate to oblong, 1.5-3.5 × ca. 2 mm, acute or obtuse, ciliate and often distally puberulent, usually also margin glandular-fimbriate; floral bract similar to bracteoles. Flowers with calyx 4-5.4(-7) mm long, lobes triangular-ovate, 2.7-4 × 2-2.3 mm, long-acuminate, often nearly reaching to corolla throat, ciliate and often distally puberulent without, densely puberulent distally within, usually also marginally glandular-fimbriate; corolla urceolate, terete or 5-angled when fresh, conspicuously inflated basally and constricted at throat at anthesis when fresh, 4.5-8 × 4-6 mm, pink to rose, glabrous within and without, lobes oblong, obtuse; stamens (2.5-)3.3-4 mm long; filaments (2-)2.3-3 mm long, glabrous; anthers (0.8-)1-1.3 mm long, awns conspicuous; ovary sparsely to densely pilose to short-pilose to glabrous; style 3-4.2(-5) mm long, glabrous. Fruiting calyx globose, 5-9(-15) mm diam., glabrous, blue-black.

Discussion:

Steinbach 572 (from Cochabamba, Bolivia) reports the fruits to be "sweet." However in Ancash and Cuzco (Peru) the fruits are said to intoxicate or "to be poisonous to cows." This adverse reaction to the fruits is similar to that reported for Pernettya prostrata, a frequent associate, and may perhaps be the result of a case of mistaken identity.

Gaultheria vaccinioides is characterized by being a small shrub and having strigose to hirsute branches; small leaves which are usually short, glandular-setose beneath; solitary, axillary flowers on short pedicels with up to nine bracteoles; long calyx lobes which are usually marginally glandular-fimbriate; glabrous corollas which are usually inflated at the base and conspicuously constricted at the throat; and blue-black fruits.

The short (to 0.2 mm long), gland-tipped setae of the lower leaf surface are usually diagnostic for the species. These glandular setae may be mixed with few to many eglandular strigose hairs as well, rarely the glandular setae disappear altogether. Several collections show both possibilities; for instance, in places where G. vaccinioides occurs with G. buxifolia var. secunda (e.g., the highly disturbed area of the Carpish Tunnel above Huanuco, Peru), the two apparently hybridize (e.g., Davidson 3397). This manifests itself in the leaves of G. vaccinioides becoming larger (more like G. buxifolia var. secunda) and greater variation occurring in leaf indumentum. A further example of this variation is seen in Woytkowski 34308, 34315, and 34316 from Saria-pampa (Huánuco). Here some leaves have strigose hairs only beneath, others glandular-setose only, and others a mixture of both. Again, these leaves are all of the size and shape of those of G. buxifolia var. secunda.

Gaultheria barosmoides is only a form with corollas at the larger end of the size range, and G. saxicola one with leaves somewhat larger than the average and more frequently encountered in Santa Cruz and Cochabamba departments (Bolivia). At very high elevations (over 4000 m) the plants may become caespitose with thin, wispy stems, the leaves may have long-persistent marginal hairs, and the stems and pedicels may loose their strigose-hirsute or setose hairs (i.e., var. humilis Weddell).

Gaultheria vaccinioides is most closely related to G. amoena. This relationship and the possibility of hybridization with G. amoena is discussed more fully with that species.

Distribution:

Peru South America| Amazonas Peru South America| Ancash Peru South America| Ayacucho Peru South America| Cusco Peru South America| Huancavelica Peru South America| Huánuco Peru South America| Junín Peru South America| Pasco Peru South America| Puno Peru South America| San Martín Peru South America| Bolivia South America| Cochabamba Bolivia South America| La Paz Bolivia South America| Santa Cruz Bolivia South America|

Common Names:

macha macha, miumanka, tampe