Vaccinium crenatum (G.Don) Sleumer

  • Family

    Ericaceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Vaccinium crenatum (G.Don) Sleumer

  • Primary Citation

    Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 12: 291. 1935

  • Basionym

    Gaylussacia crenata G.Don

  • Common Names

    huamapinta, albricias

  • Description

    Description: Prostrate to trailing shrub with decumbent or pendulous branches, rarely erect to 1 m tall, on banks, open slopes, and bare eroding areas, often rooting along stem; stem terete to subterete, smooth to striate, puberulent, glabrate; twigs subterete, striate, densely short-pilose. Leaves coriaceous, elliptic-lanceolate, 6-15(-19) x 2.5-6(-10) mm, base broadly cuneate to attentuate and decurrent onto petiole, apex bluntly acute, margin conspicuously and irregularly crenate with each tooth tipped with a tiny, deciduous gland, glabrous except puberulent along midrib on both surfaces, reddish when young, deep green when mature, often drying reddish or brownish beneath; pinnately nerved with 3-4 lateral nerves per side, all nerves conspicuously raised on both surfaces, often reddish beneath; petiole subterete, flattened above, 1-2 mm long, densely short-pilose. Inflorescence axillary, racemose, 1-3-flowered; rachis subterete, angled, nitid, 2-4(-11) mm long, glabrous, reddish; floral bract persistent, seemingly continuous not articulate, ovate, acuminate, 1-1.5 mm long, glabrous or ciliate towards base, margin appearing thin-glandular; pedicel subterete, angled, nitid, 3.5-4 mm long, glabrous; bracteoles located at or above middle of pedicel, similar to floral bract but 1-1.5 mm long. Flowers 5-merous, with calyx articulate, glabrous, nitid, 3.3-4 mm long; hypanthium subglobose to subcylindric, conspicuously constricted at limb, rugose, 1.8-2 mm long; limb erect-spreading, 1.5-2 mm long; lobes triangular to ovate-triangular, acuminate, 1-1.3 mm long; sinuses rounded; corolla cylindric-urceolate to ± campanulate-urceolate, ± 5-angled, 5-8 mm long, red, glabrous, the lobes ovate-deltate, bluntly acute, 1-1.5 mm long; stamen 10, shorter than corolla, 3.6-4 mm long; filaments distinct, ca. 2 mm long, marginally and dorsally short-pilose; anthers 2.3-2.8 mm long; thecae 1.3-1.5 mm long; tubules 1-1.3 mm long, dehiscing by short, oblique pores; style as long as corolla, glabrous. Berry spherical, blue-black, nitid, glabrous, to ca. 9 mm diam.

    Distribution: Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru; montane cloud forest, southern Ecuadorean scrub vegetation, subpáramo, to grass and shrub páramo at 1800-3500 m altitude.

    Type: Peru. Huánuco: Huasi-Huasi, Ruiz & Pavón s.n. (holotype, MA, n.v.; isotype fide Sleumer, P).

  • Floras and Monographs

    Vaccinium crenatum (G.Don) Sleumer: [Article] 1935. Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem. 12: 291.