Gaultheria Linnaeus (1753: 395)

Dalastra, Claudenice Hilda & Heiden, Gustavo, 2022, Ericaceae in Rio Grande do Sul state, Southern Brazil, Phytotaxa 564 (2), pp. 149-190 : 167-168

2. Gaultheria Linnaeus (1753: 395) .

Type:— Gaultheria procumbens Linnaeus (1753: 395)

Subshrubs erectly branched. Leaves alternate, spiraled, usually not overlapping, papery to coriaceous, flat; petiole robust; blade margin serrate; venation brochidodromous; apex without gland. Pseudoracemes leafy apically, sometimes solitary axillary flowers. Flowers 5-merous; calyx lobes connate at base, becoming fleshy and accrescent, lobes long or short; corolla gamopetalous, campanulate to urceolate; stamens 8–10; filaments erect, papillose; anthers 2-aristate, dorsifix, dehiscence poricidal; ovary superior, 4-5-locular, multiovulate. Fruit a loculicidal capsule, frequently globose, commonly involved by the calyx; seeds ovoid or angulate, laterally long.

The genus Gaultheria in Rio Grande do Sul comprises two species distributed in the highland grasslands of the Campos de Cima da Serra ( Figs. 16 C, D ), mainly in peat bogs, riverside grasslands, among rock outcrops, close to cloud forest edges, in herbaceous and/or shrubby vegetation and associated with hillsides near the border with Santa Catarina state ( Figs. 12 A–B ; 14 A ) .

Figures

FIGURE 12. Gaultheria itatiaiae (Ericaceae). A. habitat along riparian vegetation at Cascata do Tigre Preto, Cambará do Sul, RS. B. habitat and habit at rocky outcrop in Serra da Rocinha, São José dos Ausentes, RS. C. flowering branch in Cambará do Sul, RS. D. pseudoraceme and flowers at Pico Monte Negro, São José dos Ausentes, RS. Photos C.H. Dalastra (A), (B) M. Grings and G. Heiden (C, D).

FIGURE 14. Gaultheria ulei (Ericaceae) A. habitat at canyon edge in Pico Montenegro, São José dos Ausentes, RS. B. habitat and habit in Criciúma, SC. C. flowering branch. D. Pseudoraceme. Photos G. Heiden (A) and J. Gava-Just (B, C, D).

FIGURE 16. Distribution maps of (A) Agarista minensis, (B) A. nummularia, (D) Gaultheria itatiaiae and (D) Gaultheria ulei (Ericaceae) in Rio Grande do Sul state (RS), Brazil. The overview map in upper left corner indicates the position of RS in Southeast South America. Continuous lines represent the boundaries between countries or Brazilian states. Gray scale represents the elevation ranges for RS, whereas lighter tones characterize lower elevations and darker higher elevations. ARG= Argentina; PRY= Paraguay; URY= Uruguay; SC= Santa Catarina state (Brazil).