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 ca. 30 cm tall; mature stem terete, smooth to somewhat ribbed, glabrous; bark thin, cracking longitudinally and exfoliating; twigs subterete to angled, ribbed, striate, white puberulent and also hirsute with ascending to spreading, basally swollen, straight to crisped, minutely gland-tipped, ferruginous hairs to 3 mm long, glabrate; buds ovoid, scales ovate to suborbicular, acute, ciliate. Leaves coriaceous, ovate, elliptic- to linear-ovate, (2-)3.6-4.5 × 0.6-1.1 cm, base acute to cuneate, apex acuminate with a blunt, glandular mucro, serrate, with each tooth terminating in a deciduous, basally swollen, translucent, gland-tipped hair to 1.5 mm long, lamina glabrous to weakly puberulent at base along midrib, otherwise glabrous above, sparsely hirsute beneath with basally swollen, straight or distally crisped, eglandular, ferruginous hairs to 1.5 mm long, these deciduous and then lamina appearing punctate; midrib impressed above and prominently raised beneath, lateral nerves 3-5 per side, weakly impressed at base, becoming plane distally above and raised beneath, reticulate veinlets weakly impressed to plane but obscure above and raised beneath; petiole subterete, broadly canaliculate above, rugose, 3-5 mm long, glabrous or weakly hirsute as twigs. Inflorescence axillary, racemose, 12-15-flowered, surrounded at base by numerous striate, ovate, acuminate, ciliate bracts to 6 mm long; rachis subterete, sharply angled, striate, 2.5-3.5 cm long, white puberulent and also moderately to densely hirsute with straight, gland-tipped, ferruginous hairs to 1 mm long; pedicels subterete, striate, 7-10 mm long, densely white puberulent, also hirsute as rachis; bracteoles opposite to subopposite, located near middle of pedicel, ovate, 3-4 × 1 mm, long-acuminate, ciliate; floral bract striate, ovate, 5-6 × 2 mm, acuminate, ciliate. Calyx 3.5-4 mm long, glabrous or puberulent (with few, gland-tipped hairs on lobe lamina), lobes erect or sometimes reflexed when dry, ovate, 2.5-3 × 1.5-2 mm, acuminate, densely ciliolate, sparsely puberulent within; corolla urceolate, apparently bluntly angled, 5-7 × 3-4 mm, densely short-pilose, also sparsely pubescent with appressed, straight, minutely gland-tipped, ferruginous hairs to 0.5 mm long, lobes ovate, ca. 1 mm long, obtuse; stamens 3-4 mm long; filaments ca. 2.5 mm long, pilose; anthers 1.5 mm long, awns conspicuous; ovary densely short-pilose; style 3.5-4 mm long, glabrous. Fruiting calyx not seen.
Species Description - Erect shrub ca. 30 cm tall; mature stem terete, smooth to somewhat ribbed, glabrous; bark thin, cracking longitudinally and exfoliating; twigs subterete to angled, ribbed, striate, white puberulent and also hirsute with ascending to spreading, basally swollen, straight to crisped, minutely gland-tipped, ferruginous hairs to 3 mm long, glabrate; buds ovoid, scales ovate to suborbicular, acute, ciliate. Leaves coriaceous, ovate, elliptic- to linear-ovate, (2-)3.6-4.5 × 0.6-1.1 cm, base acute to cuneate, apex acuminate with a blunt, glandular mucro, serrate, with each tooth terminating in a deciduous, basally swollen, translucent, gland-tipped hair to 1.5 mm long, lamina glabrous to weakly puberulent at base along midrib, otherwise glabrous above, sparsely hirsute beneath with basally swollen, straight or distally crisped, eglandular, ferruginous hairs to 1.5 mm long, these deciduous and then lamina appearing punctate; midrib impressed above and prominently raised beneath, lateral nerves 3-5 per side, weakly impressed at base, becoming plane distally above and raised beneath, reticulate veinlets weakly impressed to plane but obscure above and raised beneath; petiole subterete, broadly canaliculate above, rugose, 3-5 mm long, glabrous or weakly hirsute as twigs. Inflorescence axillary, racemose, 12-15-flowered, surrounded at base by numerous striate, ovate, acuminate, ciliate bracts to 6 mm long; rachis subterete, sharply angled, striate, 2.5-3.5 cm long, white puberulent and also moderately to densely hirsute with straight, gland-tipped, ferruginous hairs to 1 mm long; pedicels subterete, striate, 7-10 mm long, densely white puberulent, also hirsute as rachis; bracteoles opposite to subopposite, located near middle of pedicel, ovate, 3-4 × 1 mm, long-acuminate, ciliate; floral bract striate, ovate, 5-6 × 2 mm, acuminate, ciliate. Calyx 3.5-4 mm long, glabrous or puberulent (with few, gland-tipped hairs on lobe lamina), lobes erect or sometimes reflexed when dry, ovate, 2.5-3 × 1.5-2 mm, acuminate, densely ciliolate, sparsely puberulent within; corolla urceolate, apparently bluntly angled, 5-7 × 3-4 mm, densely short-pilose, also sparsely pubescent with appressed, straight, minutely gland-tipped, ferruginous hairs to 0.5 mm long, lobes ovate, ca. 1 mm long, obtuse; stamens 3-4 mm long; filaments ca. 2.5 mm long, pilose; anthers 1.5 mm long, awns conspicuous; ovary densely short-pilose; style 3.5-4 mm long, glabrous. Fruiting calyx not seen.
Discussion:
Gaultheria angustifolia is characterized by its ovate to linear-ovate leaves. It has been collected only four times and the extent of any variation in it is unknown. With its racemose inflorescence, white puberulent and glandular-hirsute rachis, pedicels, and corolla, and striate bracts, it is related to G. erecta.Small (1914), Standley (1924), and Sleumer (1935a) maintained G. angustifolia as distinct. Curiously, Camp (1939a) made no mention of it in his discussion of the species in Mexico. Based solely on the fact that she found no normal pollen grains in the one flower examined, Corcoran (1981) treated it as an intergeneric hybrid between G. erecta (in this treatment) and Pernettya ciliata (= P. prostrata fide Luteyn, 1992). I see no particular reason for it to be considered a hybrid at all, let alone an intergeneric hybrid. I also looked at pollen from one flower from Zamudio R. 3922 (not seen by Corcoran) and found the grains empty, i.e., not staining with cotton-blue plus lactophenol. However, the discovery of sterile pollen in only two flowers from two specimens seems barely sufficient to call this taxon a hybrid; more collections are certainly needed.
Gaultheria angustifolia is characterized by its ovate to linear-ovate leaves. It has been collected only four times and the extent of any variation in it is unknown. With its racemose inflorescence, white puberulent and glandular-hirsute rachis, pedicels, and corolla, and striate bracts, it is related to G. erecta.Small (1914), Standley (1924), and Sleumer (1935a) maintained G. angustifolia as distinct. Curiously, Camp (1939a) made no mention of it in his discussion of the species in Mexico. Based solely on the fact that she found no normal pollen grains in the one flower examined, Corcoran (1981) treated it as an intergeneric hybrid between G. erecta (in this treatment) and Pernettya ciliata (= P. prostrata fide Luteyn, 1992). I see no particular reason for it to be considered a hybrid at all, let alone an intergeneric hybrid. I also looked at pollen from one flower from Zamudio R. 3922 (not seen by Corcoran) and found the grains empty, i.e., not staining with cotton-blue plus lactophenol. However, the discovery of sterile pollen in only two flowers from two specimens seems barely sufficient to call this taxon a hybrid; more collections are certainly needed.
Distribution:
Mexico North America| Jalisco Mexico North America| Michoacán Mexico North America| Puebla Mexico North America|
Mexico North America| Jalisco Mexico North America| Michoacán Mexico North America| Puebla Mexico North America|
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