Gaultheria barbata Small, N. Amer. Fl. 29: 77. 1914. Type. Costa Rica. Alajuela: Volcán Poás, 2600 m, 31 Mar 1907 (fl), Pittier 2051 (holotype, US, photo Corcoran neg. 37).
Gaultheria setosa Small, N. Amer. Fl. 29: 77. 1914. Type. Panama. Chiriquí: S slope of Cerro Horqueta, Las Siguas Camp, 1700 m, 17-19 Mar 1911 (fl), Pittier 3245 (holotype, US, photo Corcoran neg. 36).
[Gaultheria gracilis Small var. intermedia Suessenguth & Goeppinger, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 72: 282. 1942, nom. nud. Type. Costa Rica. Alajuela: Volcán Poás, 2678 m, 27 Mar 1932 (fl), Kupper 889 (holotype, M). Latin diagnosis not included.]
Terrestrial or sometimes epiphytic shrub,
0.4-2 m tall; mature stems terete, striate, glabrous; bark
fissured, cracking into longitudinal strips, brown, grayish, or blackish;
twigs terete, glabrous to puberulent, and also moderately to densely appressed-strigose
with rigid, straight, basally swollen, tan to hyaline, eglandular hairs
to 2.5 mm long (hirsute with stramineous to dark brown hairs 1-4(-5) mm
long, or glabrate and then appearing reddish punctate from remaining swollen
bases of hairs); buds ovate, scales striate, glabrous or puberulent
but ciliate, light brown. Leaves coriaceous, surface flat (+ bullate),
elliptic to ovate-elliptic, (3-)4-6(-8.5) x (1-)1.5-2.5(-3.5) cm, base
acute, or cuneate to obtuse (rounded), apex long-acuminate to acute, margin
minutely and inconspicuously serrulate with each tooth terminating in an
appressed bristle 1-2.2 mm long, sparsely to densely appressed strigose
above with deciduous, basally swollen hairs to 2 mm long, conspicuously
and usually densely appressed strigose beneath with stramineous to ferruginous
hairs to 3 mm long; midrib impressed above and raised beneath, lateral
nerves (2-3 per side) impressed to slightly raised above and conspicuously
raised beneath, reticulate veinlets moderately raised on both surfaces;
petiole subterete, flattened and sometimes strongly canaliculate above,
appearing papillate from swollen bases of deciduous hairs, 4-7 mm long,
short-puberulent or glabrate and often also strigose with hairs to 2.5
mm long. Inflorescence racemose, 6-9(-14)-flowered; rachis
subterete, often ridged, (2-)3-7(-8) cm long, moderately to densely short-pilose
with white hairs (also bearing few, spreading, minutely gland-tipped hairs
to 4 mm long, or densely strigose with eglandular hairs); pedicels
terete, striate, 5-10(-12) mm long, moderately to densely short-pilose
(densely strigose); bracteoles continuous with and borne along middle
half of pedicel, strongly divergent, papyraceous, linear to narrowly oblong,
2-4.5 x 0.5-1 mm, ciliolate and sometimes densely short-pilose at tip (strigose);
floral bract persistent, continuous with pedicel (not rachis), membranous
to chartaceous, conspicuously striate, cucullate, strongly divergent from
the pedicel, broadly elliptic to spatulate, 3-10(-14) x 2-6 mm, ciliate
(glandular-fimbriate distally), puberulous or glabrous on both surfaces
(also densely strigose on outer surface). Flowers with calyx glabrous
(or densely strigose-villous), 3.5-5 mm long, lobes ovate to deltoid, 2-3
x 1.8-2.5 mm, acute to acuminate, ciliate, short-pilose within; corolla
urceolate to cylindric-urceolate, terete, 4-8 x 3-4 mm, glabrous or moderately
to densely strigose (densely strigose-villous with stramineous to
golden-tawny, eglandular or minutely gland-tipped hairs 0.2-0.6 mm long),
puberulent within, greenish or white to rose when fresh, lobes oblong to
triangular, 1-1.5 mm long; stamens 2.3-3 mm long; filaments
1.5-2.2 mm long, glabrous or weakly pilose; anthers 1-1.3 mm long,
awns prominent; ovary glabrous or weakly short-pilose; style
2.5-4 mm long, glabrous. Fruiting calyx to 9 mm diam., glabrous,
blue-black.
Distribution (Map). Endemic to Costa Rica and adjacent western Panama where it is found in cloud and elfin forests, high-elevation bogs, disturbed forest, and remnant trees in pasturelands at elevations of (1100-)1400-2700(-3140) m. Flowering and fruiting occur throughout the year.
Cultivated: E.