Gaultheria Thymifolia

''Gaultheria'' is a genus of about 135 species of shrubs in the family Ericaceae. The name commemorates Jean François Gaultier of Quebec, an honour bestowed by the Scandinavian Pehr Kalm in 1748 and taken up by Carl Linnaeus in his '. These plants are native to Asia, Australasia and North and South America. In the past, the Southern Hemisphere species were often treated as the separate genus ''Pernettya'', but no consistent reliable morphological or genetic differences support recognition of two genera, and they are now united in the single genus ''Gaultheria''.

Description

The species vary from low, ground-hugging shrubs less than tall, up to tall, or, in the case of '' G. fragrantissima'' from the Himalayas, even a small tree up to tall. The leaves are evergreen, alternate (opposite in '' G. oppositifolia'' from New Zealand), simple, and vary between species from long; the margins are finely serrated or bristly in most species, but entire in some. The flowers are solitary or in racemes, bell-shaped, with a five-lobed (rarely four-lobed) corolla; flower colour ranges from white to pink to red. The fruit is a fleshy berry in many species, a dry capsule in some, with numerous small seeds.

Uses

Several species are grown as ornamental shrubs in gardens, particularly '' G. mucronata'' (''Pernettya mucronata'') from southern Chile and Argentina and '' G. shallon'' (salal) from the Pacific Northwest of North America. Many of the smaller species are suitable for rock gardens. Like most other ericaceous plants, ''Gaultheria'' species do best in peaty soil that never fully dries out.

The fruit of many ''Gaultheria'' species is edible, particularly that of salal, which can be used to make jelly. One, the American wintergreen or eastern teaberry, ''G. procumbens'', is the traditional source of wintergreen flavouring; it is called the eastern teaberry because its leaves can be used to make a tea, and its berries can be eaten without preparation. The fruit of most other ''Gaultheria'' species is insipid in flavour and not extensively consumed.

One variety of '' G. leucocarpa'' shows anti-inflammatory properties and is used in Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, swelling, and pain.

Species

, ''The Plant List'' recognises 141 species, including hybrids:

*''Gaultheria abbreviata'' J.J.Sm.
*''Gaultheria acroleia'' Sleumer
*'' Gaultheria acuminata'' Schltdl. & Cham.
*'' Gaultheria adenothrix'' (Miq.) Maxim.
*'' Gaultheria akaensis'' S.Panda & Sanjappa
*''Gaultheria alnifolia'' (Dunal) A.C.Sm.
*'' Gaultheria amoena'' A.C.Sm.
*'' Gaultheria anastomosans'' (Mutis ''ex'' L.f.) Kunth
*'' Gaultheria angustifolia'' Brandegee
*'' Gaultheria antarctica'' Hook.f.
*''Gaultheria antipoda'' G.Forst. - snowberry or fools beech
*'' Gaultheria appressa'' A.W.Hill - waxberry or white waxberry
*'' Gaultheria arfakana'' Sleumer
*''Gaultheria atjehensis'' J.J.Sm.
*'' Gaultheria barbulata'' Sleumer
*'' Gaultheria berberidifolia'' Sleumer
*'' Gaultheria borneensis'' Stapf
*'' Gaultheria bracteata'' (Cav.) G.Don
*''Gaultheria bradeana'' Sleumer
*''Gaultheria brevistipes'' (C.Y.Wu & T.Z.Hsu) R.C.Fang
*'' Gaultheria bryoides'' P.W.Fritsch & L.H.Zhou
*'' Gaultheria buxifolia'' Willd.
*'' Gaultheria caespitosa'' Poepp. & Endl.
*'' Gaultheria cardiosepala'' Hand.-Mazz.
*''Gaultheria celebica'' J.J.Sm.
*''Gaultheria chiriquensis'' Camp
*''Gaultheria codonantha'' Airy Shaw
*'' Gaultheria colensoi'' Hook.f.
*'' Gaultheria crassa'' Allan
*''Gaultheria cuneata'' (Rehder & E.H.Wilson) Bean
*''Gaultheria depressa'' Hook.f. - mountain snow berry or alpine wax berry
*'' Gaultheria dialypetala'' Sleumer
*''Gaultheria dolichopoda'' Airy Shaw
*'' Gaultheria domingensis'' Urb.
*''Gaultheria dumicola'' W.W.Sm.
*'' Gaultheria elegans'' (Phil.) Reiche
*'' Gaultheria erecta'' Vent.
*''Gaultheria eriophylla'' (Pers.) Mart. ''ex'' Sleumer
* ''Gaultheria'' × ''fagifolia'' Hook.f.
*'' Gaultheria foliolosa'' Benth.
*''Gaultheria fragrantissima'' Wall.
*''Gaultheria glaucifolia'' Hemsl.
*''Gaultheria glomerata'' (Cav.) Sleumer
*''Gaultheria gracilescens'' Sleumer
*'' Gaultheria gracilis'' Small
*'' Gaultheria griffithiana'' Wight
*'' Gaultheria hapalotricha'' A.C.Sm.
*'' Gaultheria heteromera'' R.C.Fang
*'' Gaultheria hirta'' Ridl.
*'' Gaultheria hispida'' R.Br. - snow berry
*''Gaultheria hispidula'' (L.) Muhl. ''ex'' Bigelow - creeping snowberry or moxie-plum
*''Gaultheria hookeri'' C.B.Clarke
*''Gaultheria howellii'' (Sleumer) D.J.Middleton
*''Gaultheria humifusa'' (Graham) Rydb. - alpine wintergreen or alpine spicy wintergreen
*''Gaultheria hypochlora'' Airy Shaw
*''Gaultheria insana'' (Molina) D.J.Middleton
*''Gaultheria insipida'' Benth. - chichaja
* ''Gaultheria'' × ''intermedia'' J.J.Sm.
*''Gaultheria itatiaiae'' Wawra
*'' Gaultheria itoana'' Hayata
*'' Gaultheria japonica'' (A.Gray) Sleumer
*''Gaultheria jingdongensis'' R.C.Fang
* ''Gaultheria'' × ''jordanensis'' Brade & Sleum.
*''Gaultheria kemiriensis'' Sleumer
*''Gaultheria lanceolata'' Hook.f.
*'' Gaultheria lanigera'' Hook.
*''Gaultheria leschenaultii'' DC.
*''Gaultheria leucocarpa'' Blume
*''Gaultheria lohitiensis'' S.Panda & Sanjappa
*'' Gaultheria longibracteolata'' R.C.Fang
*''Gaultheria longiracemosa'' Y.C.Yang
*'' Gaultheria losirensis'' Sleumer
*'' Gaultheria macrostigma'' (Colenso) D.J.Middleton
*'' Gaultheria malayana'' Airy Shaw
*''Gaultheria marginata'' (N.E.Br.) D.J.Middleton
*''Gaultheria megalodonta'' A.C.Sm.
*''Gaultheria minuta'' Merr.
*''Gaultheria mucronata'' (L.f.) Hook. & Arn. - prickly heath or chaura
*''Gaultheria mundula'' F.Muell.
*'' Gaultheria myrsinoides'' Kunth
*'' Gaultheria myrtilloides'' Cham. & Schltdl.
*'' Gaultheria notabilis'' J.Anthony
*'' Gaultheria novaguineensis'' J.J.Sm.
*'' Gaultheria nubicola'' D.J.Middleton
*''Gaultheria nubigena'' (Phil.) B.L.Burtt & Sleum.
*''Gaultheria nummularioides'' D.Don
*''Gaultheria oppositifolia'' Hook.f. - kama, niniwa or snowberry
*'' Gaultheria oreogena'' A.C.Sm.
*''Gaultheria ovatifolia'' A.Gray - western teaberry or Oregon spicy wintergreen
*''Gaultheria paniculata'' B.L.Burtt & A.W.Hill
*'' Gaultheria parvula'' D.J.Middleton
*'' Gaultheria pernettyoides'' Sleumer
*''Gaultheria phillyreifolia'' (Pers.) Sleumer
*''Gaultheria poeppigii'' DC.
*'' Gaultheria praticola'' C.Y.Wu
*''Gaultheria procumbens'' L. - eastern teaberry, checkerberry, boxberry, or American wintergreen
*''Gaultheria prostrata'' W.W.Sm.
*'' Gaultheria pseudonotabilis'' H.Li ''ex'' R.C.Fang
*''Gaultheria pullei'' J.J.Sm.
*'' Gaultheria pumila'' (L.f.) D.J.Middleton
*'' Gaultheria purpurascens'' Kunth
*'' Gaultheria purpurea'' R.C.Fang
*'' Gaultheria pyrolifolia'' Hook.f. ''ex'' C.B.Clarke
*'' Gaultheria pyroloides'' Hook.f. & Thomson ''ex'' Miq.
*'' Gaultheria racemulosa'' (DC.) D.J.Middleton
*''Gaultheria rengifoana'' Phil.
*'' Gaultheria reticulata'' Kunth
*''Gaultheria rigida'' Kunth
*'' Gaultheria rupestris'' (L.f.) R.Br.
*'' Gaultheria salicifolia'' Phil.
*''Gaultheria santanderensis'' A.C.Sm.
*''Gaultheria schultesii'' Camp
*''Gaultheria sclerophylla'' Cuatrec.
*'' Gaultheria semi-infera'' (C.B.Clarke) Airy Shaw
*''Gaultheria serrata'' (Vell.) Kin.-Gouv. ''ex'' Luteyn
* ''Gaultheria'' × ''serrulata'' Herzog
*'' Gaultheria seshagiriana'' Subba Rao & Kumari
*'' Gaultheria setulosa'' N.E.Br.
*''Gaultheria shallon'' Pursh - salal, shallon, or gaultheria
*'' Gaultheria sinensis'' J.Anthony
*'' Gaultheria sleumeri'' Smitinand & P.H.Hô
*''Gaultheria sleumeriana'' Kin.-Gouv.
*'' Gaultheria solitaria'' Sleumer
*''Gaultheria stereophylla'' A.C.Sm.
*'' Gaultheria steyermarkii'' Luteyn
*'' Gaultheria straminea'' R.C.Fang
*'' Gaultheria strigosa'' Benth.
*''Gaultheria subcorymbosa'' Colenso
*'' Gaultheria suborbicularis'' W.W.Sm.
*''Gaultheria taiwaniana'' S.S.Ying
*'' Gaultheria tasmanica'' (Hook.f.) D.J.Middleton
*'' Gaultheria tenuifolia'' (Phil.) Sleumer
*'' Gaultheria tetramera'' W.W.Sm.
*'' Gaultheria thymifolia'' Stapf ''ex'' Airy Shaw
*'' Gaultheria tomentosa'' Kunth
*'' Gaultheria trichophylla'' Royle - Himalayan snowberry
*''Gaultheria trigonoclada'' R.C.Fang
*'' Gaultheria ulei'' Sleumer
*'' Gaultheria vaccinioides'' Griseb. ''ex'' Wedd.
*''Gaultheria vernalis'' Kunze ''ex'' DC.
*''Gaultheria viridiflora'' Sleumer
*''Gaultheria wardii'' C.Marquand & Airy-Shaw

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1626776

Ericaceae genera