Common name: White Waxberry
Gaultheria appressa A.W.Hill APNI* Synonyms: Gaultheria appressa A.W.Hill var. appressa APNI*
Description: Erect shrub 0.5–2 m high; stems hispid with reddish brown bristly, ± appressed hairs.
Leaves elliptic, elliptic-oblong or ± ovate, 3–8 cm long and 10–30 mm wide, apex mostly rounded and apiculate, margins finely toothed, lamina ± glabrous but often bristly along veins; petiole 1–3 mm long.
Inflorescences 3–11-flowered racemes, in upper axils or in a terminal cluster; flowers subtended by a small bract and with 2 basal bracteoles on the pedicel. Sepals ovate, enlarging and becoming white and firm-fleshy in fruit. Corolla 2.5–4 mm long, white. Nectaries 10 small free scales.
Fruit, including the white calyx, 7–10 mm diam. when fresh.
Flowering: late spring to summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows in woodland, sclerophyll forest and rainforest margins, often in gullies and among rocks near cliff edges; widespread in high mountain areas, south from Ebor area, common at Barrington Tops.
NSW subdivisions: NC, SC, NT, CT, ST, SWS
Other Australian states: Vic.
Text by J. M. Powell, except for groups with contributors listed
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 3 (1992)
ECOLOGY
Life History
Flowers White, late spring--summer.
Fruit/seed Capsule enclosed in fleshy calyx 7--10 mm diam., fruit weight 310 mg, 330 seeds per fruit (extra data on seed & pulp characteristics in French 1991).
Dispersal, establishment and growth Diaspore: seed, probably wind-dispersed.
Interaction with other organisms Micorrhizal roots (Zomlefer 1994).
Habitat
Habitat Creek edge.
Altitude 800--1000 m
Annual rainfall 1000 mm
Typical local abundance Rare.
Substrate Gravelly clay.
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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