Gaultheria congesta Fedtschenko & Basilevskaja, Not. Syst. Herb. Hort. Bot. U.S.S.R. 6: 21.  1926.  Type.  Peru.  Junín:  Mountains of  Andamarca, Jul (fl), Mathews 1173 (holotype, LE, n.v., xerox of  holotype at NY;  isotypes, E, K, frag. NY).

Gaultheria bolivari Cuatrecasas, Trab. Museo Cien. Nat. Madrid 26: l3, fig. 7. 1933.  Type.  Colombia.  Tolima:  Cordillera Central, Volcán Tolima,  páramo at "Las Mesetas," 3800-4000 m, 14 Jun 1932 (fl, fr), Cuatrecasas 2719 (holotype, MA;  isotype, frag. K, MA).

     Erect shrub (0.2-)1-3 m to small tree 10 m tall x 15 cm dbh;  mature stems terete, striate, hispid with basally swollen, elgandular, straight to ± crisped hairs to 2.5 mm long;  bark grayish- or reddish-brown, cracking longitudinally; twigs terete to subterete, striate, commonly white puberulent (or not) and also strigose or more often densely hispid as stems;  buds ovate, complanate, scales 2, ciliate, otherwise glabrous.  Leaves spreading, perpendicular to stems or often completely reflexed, elliptic, ovate, or somewhat obovate, smooth or wrinkled when dry, (0.5-)0.8-1.0(-1.5) x (0.3-)0.4-0.7(-1) cm, base rounded or broadly cuneate-attenuate, apex acute and obtusely callose-apiculate, margin obscurely serrate, revolute over entire length causing leaves to be concave (strongly revolute, or flat), basically glabrous above or puberulent at base along midvein, strigose or rarely glabrous beneath with basally swollen hairs to 2 mm long;  midrib plane to slightly raised or slightly impressed above, raised and conspicuously thickened at base beneath, lateral nerves (2-3 per side) plane to slightly raised or impressed above and slightly raised beneath, reticulate veinlets slightly raised but inconspicuous on both surfaces;  petiole subterete, flattened above, 1-2 mm long, puberulent above and usually hispid beneath.  Inflorescence with flowers solitary in the axils of normal or slightly reduced leaves and then congested at tips of new growth;  pedicels terete, striate, (4-)6-10 mm long, longer than subtending leaves, puberulent (sometimes not) and also hirsute with straight to crisped, eglandular hairs to 1 mm long (also mixed with short, glandular-setose hairs ca. 0.2 mm long);  bracteoles 2-3, basal or with one midway along pedicel, broadly ovate, 2-3 x ca. 2 mm long, acute, ciliate (also sparsely hirsute or glandular-fimbriate);  floral bract similar to bracteoles.  Flowers with calyx (3-)3.5-4.5 mm long, lobes ovate or triangular, 2.2-2.6 x 1.5-2 mm, acute to short-acuminate, ciliate otherwise glabrous without (sparsely short-pilose or short-strigose), but short-pilose within;  corolla cylindric-urceolate, rarely appearing campanulate when dry, (3-)5-6 x 3-3.5(-6) mm, glabrous within and without, white when fresh, lobes oblong, obtuse;  stamens 2.5-3 mm long;  filaments 1.5-2.2 mm long, glabrous;  anthers 1-1.4 mm long, conspicuously awned;  ovary densely short-pilose with somewhat cinereous hairs;  style 2-4 mm long, glabrous or basally short-pilose.  Fruiting calyx globose when fresh but often turbinate when dry, 6-8 mm diam., glabrous, white to white flushed with pink, or turning blue-black.

     Distribution (Map).  Widespread in wet montane forest, páramo, moist roadside slopes, and subpáramo thickets of Colombia and Ecuador, rare in Peru at elevations of (2000-)2400-3500(-3800) m.  Flowering and fruiting throughout the year.

     Common names and uses.  Colombia:  mortiño del árbol (Antioquia).  Ecuador:  takshi.

    Cultivated:  E.