Gaultheria Kalm ex L. (incl. Pernettya Gaudich.)
Gaultheria is a genus with about 135 species, mostly distributed in the Americas, eastern Asia, New Zealand and Australia. It is most diverse in Central and South America where ca. 58 species occur (Mabberley 2008). Other important centers of distribution are Malesia (Sleumer 1957) and China (Ruizheng & Stevens 2005).
Molecular data demonstrated that it is most closely related to Pernettya and several other vaccinioid taxa (Kron & al. 2002) with Pernettya better included in Gaultheria (Kron & al. 1999). Both genera only differ in berry characters (respectively a berry and a capsule). The existence of spontaneous hybrids between species of both genera [e.g. Gaultheria shallon Pursh × Pernettya mucronata (L.f.) Gaudich. ex Spreng.] also indicate their close relationship. Within Ericaceae the monophyly of the ‘Wintergreen Group’, containing the genera Diplycosia, Gaultheria and Tepuia, is strongly supported (Fritsch & al. 2011).
Many species of Gaultheria are cultivated as ornamentals in European gardens. The very extensive account of Middleton (1997) cites 44 species but rather few are more or less widespread in cultivation (e.g. Roloff & Bärtels 2006, de Koning & al. 2000). A single species, Gaultheria procumbens, has been recorded in the wild in Belgium.
Literature:
Bush C.M. (2010) The phylogeny, morphological evolution and biogeography of the Gaultherieae (Ericaceae). PhD Thesis, Wake Forest University: 239 pp. [available online at: https://wakespace.lib.wfu.edu/handle/10339/14930]
Bush C.M., Wagstaff S.J., Fritsch P.W. & Kron K.A. (2009) The phylogeny, biogeography and morphological evolution of Gaultheria (Ericaceae) from Australia and New Zealand. Australian Systematic Botany 22(4): 229-242. [available online at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233785915_The_phylogeny_biogeog...
Corcoran C.M. (1981) A revision of the Mexican and Guatemalan taxa of Gaultheria (Ericaceae). University of Wisconsin—Madison: 506 pp.
De Koning J., Van den Broek J.W., Van de Laar H.J. & Fortgens G. (2000) Nederlandse dendrologie (13e druk). H. Veenman & zonen, Ede: 585 p.
Dome A.P. (1996) Gaultherias native to temperate North America. Rock Gard. Quart. 54(1): 42-50.
Fritsch P.W., Lu L., Bush C.M., Cruz B.C., Kron K.A. & Li D.-Z. (2011) Phylogenetic Analysis of the Wintergreen Group (Ericaceae) Based on Six Genic Regions. Systematic Botany 36(4): 990-1003. [available online at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/De-Zhu_Li/publication/233575635_Phy...
Fritsch P.W., Zhou L.H., Lu L. & Bartholomew B. (2008) The flowering plant genus Gaultheria (Ericaceae) in the Gaoligong Shan, along the border region of China and Myanmar. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 59: 147-214. [available online at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228748284_The_Flowering_Plant_G...
Haywood V. (2003) Gaultheria: New Zealand snowberries, part 1. Hebe News 18(3): 20-21.
Haywood V. (2003) Gaultheria: New Zealand snowberries, part 2. Hebe News 18(4): 16-17.
Haywood V. (2004) Gaultheria: New Zealand snowberries, part 3. Hebe News 19(1): 17.
Haywood V. (2004) Gaultheria: New Zealand snowberries, part 4. Hebe News 19(2): 14-15.
Hersey R.E. & Vander Kloet S.P. (1976) Taxonomy and distribution of Gaultheria in the Caribbean. Canad. J. Bot. 54: 2465-2472.
Hsu T.Z. (1981) Preliminary study of classification on Chinese Gaultheria (in Chinese). Acta Bot. Yunnanica 3(4): 417-434. [available online at: http://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTotal-YOKE198104003.htm]
Kron K.A., Judd W.S. & Crayn D.M. (1999) Phylogenetic analyses of Andromedeae (Ericaceae subfam. Vaccinioideae). Am. J. Bot. 86(9): 1290-1300. [available online at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10487817]
Kron K.A., Judd W.S., Stevens P.F., Crayn D.M., Anderberg A.A., Gadek P.A., Quinn C.J. & Luteyn J.L. (2002) Phylogenetic Classification of Ericaceae: Molecular and Morphological Evidence. Botanical Review 68(3): 335-423. [available online at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Darren_Crayn/publication/233720018_...
Lu L., Fritsch P.W., Cruz B.C., Wang H. & Li D.-Z. (2010) Reticulate evolution, cryptic species, and character convergence in the core East Asian clade of Gaultheria (Ericaceae). Molec. Phylogen. Evol. 57: 364-379. [available online at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lu_Lu26/publication/44683051_Reticu...(Ericaceae)/links/55a5ff1408ae81aec9138422.pdf]
Lu L., Wang H. & Li D.Z. (2005) Advances in molecular phylogenetics and biogeography of Gaultheria (Ericaceae) (in Chinese). Chinese Bull. Bot. 22: 658-667. [available online at: http://www.oalib.com/paper/1488008#.VthA75X2bIU]
Lu L., Wang H. & Li D.Z. (2012) Some Considerations on Data Integration for the Next-Generation Flora (iFlora) and Flora Revision. A Case Study of Gaultheria (Ericaceae) (in Chinese). PDR 34(6): 562-584. [available online at: http://journal.kib.ac.cn/EN/abstract/abstract3102.shtml#]
Luteyn J.L. (1991) The genus Gaultheria in Brazil. Bol. Mus. Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Bot. 7(2): 309-333.
Luteyn J.L. & Wilbur R.L. (2005) Flora Costaricensis: Family #172 Ericaceae. Fieldiana Botany 45: 1-104. [available online at: http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/20486#page/3/mode/1up]
Mabberley D.J. (2008) Mabberley’s plant-book (3th ed.). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: XVIII + 1021 p.
Marinero F., Maranho L.T. & Hatschbach G.G. (2007) O gênero Gaultheria L. (Ericaceae) no Estado do Paraná, Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Biociências 5, supl. 2: 615-617. [available online at: http://www.ufrgs.br/seerbio/ojs/index.php/rbb/article/view/535]
Middleton D. (1990) Pernettya or Gaultheria? Plantsman 12(3): 167-177.
Middleton D.J. (1991) Infrageneric classification of the genus Gaultheria L. Ericaceae. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 106: 229–258.
Middleton D.J. (1991) Taxonomic studies in the Gaultheria group of genera of the tribe Andromedeae (Ericaceae). Edinburgh J. Bot. 48: 283-306. [available online at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/231806667_Taxonomic_studies_in_...
Middleton D.J. (1991) Ecology, reproductive biology and hybridization in Gaultheria L. Edinburgh J. Bot. 48(1): 81-89. [available online at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/231769361_Ecology_reproductive_...
Middleton D.J. (1992) A chemotaxonomic survey of flavonoids and simple phenols in the leaves of Gaultheria L. and related genera (Ericaceae). Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 110(4): 313-324.
Middleton D.J. (1993) A systematic survey of leaf and stem anatomical characters in the genus Gaultheria and related genera (Ericaceae). Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 113(3): 199-215.
Middleton D.J. (1997) Gaultheria. In: Cullen J. & al. (eds.), The European Garden Flora, vol. 5. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 492-499.
Middleton D.J. & Wilcock C.C. (1990) A critical examination of the status of Pernettya as a genus distinct from Gaultheria. Edinburgh J. Bot. 47: 291-301. [available online at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232016817_A_critical_examinatio...
Middleton D.J. & Wilcock C.C. (1990) Chromosome counts in the genus Gaultheria and related genera. Edinburgh J. Bot. 47: 303-313. [available online at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/231790620_Chromosome_counts_in_...
Panda S., Mandal S.C. & Elachouri M. (2014) Diversity of the genus Gaultheria L. (Ericaceae) in India. Insights from exomorphology, anatomy, pollen-morphology, ethnobotany and ethnopharmacognosy. LAP Lambert Academic Publishing: 196 pp.
Powell E.A. & Kron K.A. (2001) An analysis of the phylogenetic relationships in the Wintergreen Group (Diplycosia, Gaultheria, Pernettya, Tepuia; Ericaceae). Syst. Bot. 26: 808-817. [available online at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280989724_An_Analysis_of_the_Ph...
Roloff A. & Bärtels A. (2006) Flora der Gehölze (2e Auflage). Ulmer, Stuttgart: 844 p.
Ruizheng F. & Stevens P.F. (2005) Gaultheria. In: Wu Z.Y. & al. (eds.), Flora of China, vol. 14. Science Press, Beijing and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis: 464-475. [available online at: http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/PDF/PDF14/Gaultheria.pdf]
Sleumer H. (1935) Revision der Gattung Pernettya Gaud. Notizblatt des Botanischen Gartens und Museums zu Berlin-Dahlem 12: 626-655.
Sleumer H. (1957) Florae Malesianae Praecursores XV. The genus Gaultheria in Malaysia. Reinwardtia 4(2): 163-188. [available online at: http://e-journal.biologi.lipi.go.id/index.php/reinwardtia/article/view/1...
Sleumer H. (1985) Taxonomy of the genus Pernettya Gaud. (Ericaceae). Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 105: 449-480.
Teillier S. & Escobar F. (2013) Revisión del género Gaultheria L. (Ericaceae) en Chile. Gayana Bot. 70(1): 136-153. [available online at: http://www.scielo.cl/pdf/gbot/v70n1/art14.pdf]
Trock D.K. (2009) Gaultheria. In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee (eds.), Flora of North America, vol. 8. Oxford University Press, New York-Oxford: 512-515. [available online at: http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=113331]