Gaultheria is a genus of about 283 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 , Plants of the World Online recognises 283 species:
Gaultheria abanii (Argent) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Borneo (Sabah) Gaultheria abbreviata J.J.Sm. – northern and central Sumatra Gaultheria abscondita (Sleumer) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – northern Borneo Gaultheria acroleia Sleumer – Sumatra Gaultheria acuminata Schltdl. & Cham. – Mexico to Honduras Gaultheria adenothrix (Miq.) Maxim. – Japan Gaultheria akaensis S.Panda & Sanjappa – eastern Himalayas Gaultheria albiflora (T.Z.Hsu) P.W.Fritsch & Lu Lu – Bhutan to south-central China (Yunnan and Sichuan) Gaultheria alnifolia (Dunal) A.C.Sm. – northeastern Colombia to Venezuela Gaultheria amboinensis (Becc.) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Maluku (Ambon) Gaultheria amoena A.C.Sm. – southern Colombia to Ecuador Gaultheria anastomosans (Mutis ex L.f.) Kunth – Colombia to northwestern Venezuela Gaultheria angustifolia Brandegee – central Mexico (Puebla, México, Michoacán, and Jalisco) Gaultheria annamensis (Sleumer) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – southern Vietnam Gaultheria antarctica Hook.f. – southern Chile, southern Argentina, Falkland Islands Gaultheria antipoda G.Forst. - snowberry or fools beech – New Zealand Gaultheria aperta (J.J.Sm.) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – southwestern Sulawesi Gaultheria apiculifera (J.J.Sm.) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – west-central Sumatra Gaultheria apoensis (Elmer) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Philippines (Mindanao) Gaultheria appressa A.W.Hill - waxberry or white waxberry – southeastern Australia Gaultheria arfakana Sleumer – northwestern New Guinea Gaultheria argentii Kron & P.W.Fritsch – northern Borneo Gaultheria atjehensis J.J.Sm. – northern Sumatra Gaultheria aurea (Sleumer) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – northern Borneo Gaultheria auyantepuiensis Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Venezuela (Bolívar) Gaultheria balgooyi (Argent) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Sulawesi Gaultheria barbigera (Sleumer) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Borneo (Sarawak) Gaultheria barbulata Sleumer – Sumatra (Mount Leuser) Gaultheria bartolomei (Ferreras & Argent) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Philippines Gaultheria beamanii Kron & P.W.Fritsch – northern Borneo Gaultheria beccarii Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Borneo Gaultheria benitotanii (Argent) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Philippines Gaultheria benomensis Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Peninsular Malaysia (Pahang) Gaultheria berberidifolia Sleumer – New Guinea (Arfak Mountains) Gaultheria × biluoensis P.W.Fritsch & Lu Lu – G. crassifolia × G. major – China (Yunnan) Gaultheria borneensis Stapf – Taiwan, Philippines, northern Borneo Gaultheria brachyantha (Sleumer) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – northern Sumatra Gaultheria bracteata (Cav.) G.Don – Ecuador (Tungurahua) to Bolivia Gaultheria bradeana Sleumer – Brazil (Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, and Santa Catarina) Gaultheria brevistipes (C.Y.Wu & T.Z.Hsu) R.C.Fang – Arunachal Pradesh to southeastern Tibet Gaultheria bryoides P.W.Fritsch & L.H.Zhou – China (Yunnan) to northern Myanmar Gaultheria buxifolia Willd. – Colombia and Venezuela Gaultheria caespitosa Poepp. & Endl. – central and southern Chile, southern Argentina Gaultheria campii Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Venezuela (Bolívar) Gaultheria capitata (Sleumer) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Sulawesi Gaultheria cardiosepala Hand.-Mazz. – China (western Yunnan) to northern Myanmar Gaultheria cardonae (A.C.Sm.) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Venezuela (Bolívar) Gaultheria carrii (Sleumer) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – northern Borneo Gaultheria caryophylloides (J.J.Sm.) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – southeastern Sulawesi Gaultheria caudatifolia (Sleumer) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – northern Borneo Gaultheria celebensis (J.J.Sm.) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – central Sulawesi Gaultheria celebica J.J.Sm. – central Sulawesi (Mt. Sinadji) Gaultheria chiriquensis Camp – Panama (Volcán Barú) Gaultheria ciliisepala Airy Shaw ex P.W.Fritsch & Lu Lu – Tibet to China (Yunnan) and northern Myanmar Gaultheria ciliolata (Hook.f.) F.Muell. – northern Borneo Gaultheria cinnabarina (Sleumer) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Sumatra Gaultheria cinnamomifolia (Stapf) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – northern Borneo Gaultheria clementium (Sleumer) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – northern Borneo Gaultheria codonantha Airy Shaw – Arunachal Pradesh and southeastern Tibet Gaultheria coi (Argent) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Philippines (Mindoro) Gaultheria colensoi Hook.f. – New Zealand (North Island) Gaultheria commutata (Sleumer) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – northern Borneo Gaultheria consobrina (Becc.) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Borneo (southwestern Sarawak) Gaultheria corvensis (R.R.Silva & Cervi) Romão & Kin.-Gouv. – Brazil (Santa Catarina) Gaultheria crassa Allan – New Zealand Gaultheria crassifolia (Airy Shaw) P.W.Fritsch & Lu Lu – Tibet to China (Yunnan) and northern Myanmar Gaultheria cuneata (Rehder & E.H.Wilson) Bean – Nepal and China (western Sichuan and northern Yunnan) Gaultheria depressa Hook.f. - mountain snow berry or alpine wax berry – Tasmania and New Zealand Gaultheria dialypetala Sleumer – central-western Sumatra (Mount Talakmau) Gaultheria discolor Nutt. ex Hook. – Bhutan and eastern Himalayas to China (western and southeastern Yunnan) Gaultheria dolichopoda Airy Shaw – Arunachal Pradesh to China (Yunnan) and northern Myanmar Gaultheria domingensis Urb. – Hispaniola and Lesser Antilles Gaultheria dumicola W.W.Sm. – Arunachal Pradesh to China (western Yunnan) Gaultheria eciliata (Rae & D.G.Long) P.W.Fritsch & L.H.Zhou - Eastern Himalayas to China (northwestern Yunnan) Gaultheria edulis (Schltr.) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – western New Guinea Gaultheria ensifolia (Merr.) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – northern Borneo Gaultheria epiphytica (H.R.Fletcher) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Peninsular Thailand Gaultheria erecta Vent. – Mexico to northwestern Argentina and southern Brazil Gaultheria eriophylla (Pers.) Mart. ex Sleumer eastern Brazil Gaultheria eymae Kron & P.W.Fritsch – central Sulawesi Gaultheria × fagifolia Hook.f. – New Zealand (North Island) Gaultheria filipes (Sleumer) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – central Sulawesi Gaultheria fimbriata (Sleumer) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Borneo (Gunung Mulu in Sarawak) Gaultheria floribunda (Camp) ined. – Venezuela (Bolívar) Gaultheria foliolosa Benth. – Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru Gaultheria fragrantissima Wall. – India, Tibet, south-central China, Myanmar, Vietnam, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, and Java Gaultheria gajoensis Kron & P.W.Fritsch – northern Sumatra Gaultheria gallowayana (Argent) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Sulawesi Gaultheria glaucicaulis (Argent) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Sulawesi Gaultheria glauciflora (Sleumer) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – northern Sumatra Gaultheria glaucifolia Hemsl. – Mexico (Durango and Jalisco) Gaultheria glomerata (Cav.) Sleumer – Venezuela to Bolivia Gaultheria gonggashanensis P.W.Fritsch & Lu Lu – China (Sichuan) Gaultheria gracilescens Sleumer – western New Guinea Gaultheria gracilipes (J.J.Sm.) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – southwestern Sulawesi Gaultheria gracilis Small – Costa Rica and Panama Gaultheria griffithiana Wight Eastern Nepal to south-central China and Vietnam Gaultheria haemantha (Sleumer) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – central Sulawesi Gaultheria hapalotricha A.C.Sm. – Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia Gaultheria hendrianiana (Argent) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Sulawesi Gaultheria heteromera R.C.Fang – Arunachal Pradesh and southeast Tibet Gaultheria hirta Ridl. – Peninsula Malaysia (Perak: Gunung Korbu) Gaultheria hispida R.Br. - snow berry – Tasmania Gaultheria hispidula (L.) Muhl. ex Bigelow - creeping snowberry or moxie-plum – Canada and the northern United States Gaultheria hookeri C.B.Clarke – Nepal, Tibet, and the eastern Himalayas to south-Central China Gaultheria howellii (Sleumer) D.J.Middleton – Galápagos Gaultheria humifusa (Graham) Rydb. - alpine wintergreen or alpine spicy wintergreen – western Canada and western United States Gaultheria hypochlora Airy Shaw – Arunachal Pradesh, Tibet, China (Sichuan and Yunnan) and northern Myanmar Gaultheria insana (Molina) D.J.Middleton south-central Chile and southern Argentina Gaultheria insipida Benth. - chichaja – Colombia and Ecuador Gaultheria × intermedia J.J.Sm. – G. leucocarpa × G. punctata – Sumatra and Java Gaultheria itatiaiae Wawra – southeastern and southern Brazil Gaultheria japonica (A.Gray) Sleumer – Japan (northern and central Honshu) Gaultheria jiewhoei (Mustaqim) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Sulawesi Gaultheria jingdongensis R.C.Fang – China (west-central Yunnan) Gaultheria × jordanensis Brade & Sleum. – G. eriophylla × G. itatiaiae – southeastern Brazil Gaultheria kalimantanensis (P.Wilkie & Argent) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Borneo (Meratus Mountains) Gaultheria kalmiifolia (Sleumer) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Borneo (Sarawak) Gaultheria kamengiana S.Panda & Sanjappa – Arunachal Pradesh Gaultheria kemiriensis Sleumer – Sumatra Gaultheria kemulensis (J.J.Sm.) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – east-central Borneo (Mount Kemul) Gaultheria kinabaluensis (Stapf) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – northern Borneo Gaultheria kingii (Merr.) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and northern Sumatra Gaultheria kitangladensis (P.W.Fritsch) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Philippines (Mindanao) Gaultheria kjellbergii (J.J.Sm.) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – southeastern Sulawesi Gaultheria kosteri (Sleumer) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – western New Guinea Gaultheria kostermansii (Sleumer) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Borneo (east-central Kalimantan) Gaultheria lamii (J.J.Sm.) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – northwestern New Guinea (Mt. Doorman) Gaultheria lanceolata Hook.f. – Tasmania Gaultheria lanigera Hook. – Ecuador Gaultheria lavandulifolia (Sleumer) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – Borneo (Sarawak) Gaultheria ledermannii (Schltr.) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – northeastern New Guinea Gaultheria leucocarpa Blume – Sumatra and Java Gaultheria lilianae (J.J.Sm.) Kron & P.W.Fritsch – western New Guinea Gaultheria linifolia (Phil.) Teillier & R.A.Rodr. – south-central and southern Chile and southern Argentina