Gaultheria rupestris (L. f.) D. Don

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Credits

Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles

Recommended citation
'Gaultheria rupestris' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/gaultheria/gaultheria-rupestris/). Accessed 2025-06-23.

Family

  • Ericaceae

Genus

Synonyms

  • Andromeda rupestris L. f.

Glossary

calyx
(pl. calyces) Outer whorl of the perianth. Composed of several sepals.
corolla
The inner whorl of the perianth. Composed of free or united petals often showy.
acute
Sharply pointed.
apex
(pl. apices) Tip. apical At the apex.
apiculate
With a short sharp point.
calyx
(pl. calyces) Outer whorl of the perianth. Composed of several sepals.
capsule
Dry dehiscent fruit; formed from syncarpous ovary.
included
(botanical) Contained within another part or organ.
inflorescence
Flower-bearing part of a plant; arrangement of flowers on the floral axis.
lanceolate
Lance-shaped; broadest in middle tapering to point.
ovate
Egg-shaped; broadest towards the stem.

References

There are no active references in this article.

Credits

Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles

Recommended citation
'Gaultheria rupestris' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/gaultheria/gaultheria-rupestris/). Accessed 2025-06-23.

A shrub 1 to 2 ft high, with erect or spreading branches; stems more or less bristly. Leaves leathery, shortly stalked, dull green above, paler beneath, elliptic to elliptic-oblong or lanceolate-oblong, apiculate at apex, 45 in. to 125 long (occasionally to almost 2 in.), margins finely saw-toothed (sometimes coarsely so). Flowers in racemes up to about 3 in. long, borne at the apex of the shoots and in the uppermost of leaf-axils, the racemes sometimes branched; inflorescence-axis and pedicels downy. Calyx deeply lobed, the lobes ovate, acute, minutely toothed, Corolla urn-shaped, white and waxy, about 16 in. long. Fruit a capsule, surrounded by the persistent but dry calyx.

A native of the mountains of the South Island of New Zealand, but descending to near sea-level in the southern end of its range. It has never been common in British gardens but is striking in flower and should be hardy if introduced from a high altitude. There is a fine photograph of this species in Philipson and Hearn, Rock Garden Plants of the Southern Alps, Plate 55.

The following species, closely allied to G. rupestris, and included in it by other authorities, are recognised by Allan in Flora of Neiv Zealand (1966). In all of them the calyx remains dry in the fruiting stage.