Gaultheria eriophylla (Pers.) Sleumer ex B.L.Burtt

Description

Description: Erect shrub 0.3-5 m tall; mature stems terete, glabrous, striate; bark exfoliating in small rectangular strips, reddish-brown; twigs subterete, tomentose-lanate with fulvous, canescent to ferruginous, eglandular hairs to 4 mm long; buds ovate, scales reddish-brown, ciliolate and short, white tomentose. Leaves coriaceous, ovate, oblong, elliptic-oblong, elliptic-ovate, to elliptic, 3-8.5(-12.5) x (1.4-)2-4.5(-5.5) cm, base rounded, truncate and subcordate, obtuse to acute, or cuneate, apex rounded, obtuse, or acute, ultimately abruptly ending in a very distinct, blunt, mucro 1-2(-3) mm long, margin entire to somewhat serrate in apical third, glabrous above or punctate by persistent swollen bases of a caducous tomentum, or persistently tomentose along midrib and lateral nerves, tomentose-lanate beneath with fulvous, reddish or ferruginous, basally swollen, eglandular, mostly persistent hairs, but sometimes labrate; midrib and lateral nerves (4-6 per side) impressed above and raised beneath, leaf surface then sometimes bullate, reticulate veinlets slightly raised or impressed above, raised beneath; petiole subterete, flattened or somewhat canaliculate above, 2-5(-7) mm long, tomentose-lanate. Inflorescence racemose, (10-)15-20(-25)-flowered, sterile basal bracts striate, ovate to oblong-obovate, to 5 x 3 mm, ciliolate; rachis subterete, complanate, (3.5-)5-8(-14) cm long, sparsely white puberulent and also densely to moderately tomentose-villous-lanate with fulvous or reddish to ferruginous, eglandular or rarely minutely gland-tipped hairs; pedicels subterete, complanate, 5-8(-10) mm long, lengthening to 15 mm long after anthesis, pubescent as rachis; bracteoles located along basal third of pedicel, often spreading to reflexed, linear to linear-ovate, (2-)3-4(-5) mm long, acuminate, dorsally densely to sparsely strigose with ferruginous, eglandular or rarely gland-tipped hairs, glabrate, ventrally glabrous; floral bracts subcoriaceous, often spreading to reflexed, cochleariform, striate, ovate to oblong-obovate, (3.5-)6-10(-12) x 2-4(-5) mm, acute to acuminate, pubescent as bracteoles. Flowers with calyx 3.5-4.5 mm long, lobes ovate, 2-2.5 x 1.5-2 mm, acuminate, densely tomentose-villous-lanate without, with ferruginous, crisped (minutely gland-tipped) hairs, short-pilose within; corolla urceolate, 5-7 x 4-5 mm, tomentose-villous-lanate without, with hairs as on calyx, short-pilose within, white, rose to rose-red, or reddish-pink when fresh, lobes oblong, obtuse; stamens 3-4.3 mm long, somewhat alternately unequal; filaments 2.6-3.4 mm long, moderately long-pilose; anthers 1-1.6 mm long, awns conspicuous; ovary densely short-pilose; style 3-4 mm long, glabrous. Fruiting calyx globose, 6-10 mm diam., sparsely strigose-villous at tips of calyx lobes, blue-black. Chromosome number: n=11, 2n=22 (var. mucronata, Luteyn & Dorr 13645).

Distribution: Southern Peru-N Bolivia, and south-eastern Brazil at elevations of (950-)1600-2250(-3000) m. Flowering and fruiting throughout the year.

Type: Brazil. Vellozo (Persoon cites Vandelli, Fl.lusit. bras. spec. 28. 1788, which refers to a collection by Vellozo; however, no specimen has ever been located).

Key to the Varieties of Gaultheria eriophylla: 1. Lamina ovate to elliptic-ovate, apex acute to obtuse (rarely rounded); indumentum ferruginous-to reddish-tomentose; SE Brazil ........... var. eriophylla 1. Lamina oblong to elliptic-oblong, apex rounded (rarely broadly acute); indumentum fulvous- or canescent-tomentose; S Peru-N Bolivia ............. var. mucronata