Gaultheria conferta Bentham, Pl. hartweg. 219. 1846. Brossea conferta (Bentham) O. Kuntze, Rev. gen. pl. 2: 388. 1891. Type. Colombia. Cundinamarca: Andes of Bogotá, 2743-3048 m, Hartweg 1205 (holotype, K; isotypes, BR, CGE, E, FI-Webb., G, K, LD, NY, OXF, P, W).
Gaultheria ramosissima Bentham, Pl. hartweg. 220. 1846. Brossea ramosissima (Bentham) O. Kuntze, Revis. gen. pl. 2: 388. 1891. Type. Colombia. Cundinamarca: Andes nr. Bogotá, Hartweg 1207 (holotype, K; isotypes, BR, CGE, E, frag. F, FI-Webb., G, photo F neg. 26629, K, LD, NY, OXF, P, W).
Gaultheria pubiflora S. F. Blake, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 35: 118. 1922. Type. Colombia. Cundinamarca: Nr. Albán, 2685 m, 5 Oct 1920 (fl, fr), Popenoe 1133 (holotype, US, photo NY neg. 12072).
? Gaultheria microdonta A. C. Smith, Bull. Torrey Bot. Cl. 60: 108. 1933. Type. Colombia. Cundinamarca: Montserrate, Oct 1907 (fl), Bro. Ariste-Joseph A301 (holotype, US).
Erect shrub (0.2-)1-1.5(-5) m tall, often
much-branched and much-reduced with gnarled stems at elevations over 3300
m; mature stems terete, glabrous; bark gray to reddish-brown,
thin, often exfoliating in strips; twigs subterete, usually sparsely
to densely (sometimes not) puberulent to short-pilose with white hairs,
also usually sparsely to densely (rarely not) strigose with slightly spreading,
straight to crisped, ferruginous, basally swollen, eglandular hairs to
2.5 mm long; buds ovate, 2-3 mm long, scales tan to reddish, glabrous.
Leaves usually ascending or spreading, ovate, 0.7-1.6(-2) x 0.4-1(-1.2)
cm, base rounded, obtuse, or broadly cuneate (subcordate), apex acute to
acuminate, margin bluntly to sharply serrate with each tooth terminating
in a deciduous or persistent, setose hair, often slightly revolute, surfaces
glabrous above or inconspicuously puberulent, glabrous beneath or more
commonly sparingly strigose with short, basally swollen, eglandular hairs;
midrib, lateral nerves, and reticulate veinlets plane, slightly impressed,
or slightly raised above, usually slightly raised and conspicuous to inconspicuous
beneath; petiole subterete, usually broadly flattened or canaliculate
above, slightly rugose, 1.2-3 mm long, usually glabrous but sometimes puberulent
above and short-strigose beneath. Inflorescence of solitary, axillary
flowers, or as terminal pseudoracemes congested at the branch tips;
pedicel terete, somewhat striate, 3.5-9(-14) mm long, indumentum similar
to the twigs; bracteoles 2-9(-12), basal or scattered along the pedicel,
ovate to ovate-elliptic, 1.5-3.5(-4.2) x 1.5-2.5 mm, acute to acuminate,
glabrous or short-pilose, usually ciliate; floral bract similar to
bracteoles or leaf-like in all aspects. Calyx 3-4(-5.5) mm long,
lobes riangular to ovate, 1.5-3 x 1.5-2 mm, acuminate, ciliolate, glabrous
to short-pilose at tips without, rarely strigose at base, usually densely
short-pilose within; corolla urceolate to cylindric-urceolate, 4-6(-7)
x 3-5(-6.5) mm, usually glabrous without (densely short-pilose or also
weakly strigose), essentially glabrous or sparsely pilose within, white
to pinkish, lobes ovate, obtuse, ca. 1 mm long; stamens (2-)2.5-4
mm long; filaments 2-3 mm long, glabrous to densely pilose;
anthers 1.2-2 mm long, awns long and conspicuous; ovary densely short-pilose;
style 2.8-4.5 mm long, glabrous to densely short-pilose in basal half.
Fruiting calyx globose when fresh but often becoming turbinate when dry,
4-7(-10) mm diam., blue-black (or white ?). Chromosome number: n=11,
2n=22 (Luteyn et al. 4719).
Distribution (Map). Rare in western Venezuela but frequent and very common in Colombia in open páramo, páramo thickets, and disturbed páramo hillsides at elevations of (1900-)2500-3400(-4100) m. Flowering and fruiting occur throughout the season.
Common names and uses. Venezuela: borrachera (Trujillo). Colombia: mortiño (Antioquia); totiadera blanca (Boyacá); reventadera (Boyacá, Cundinamarca); borrachera, chirridera, maiz de perro, totiadera, veneno (Cundinamarca); uvito (Huila).