Gaultheria glomerata
(Cav.) Sleumer
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) subhashc, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) David Torres, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Description
A shrub. It can be spreading or lie along the ground. It grows 1 m tall. The stems can have white or rusty coloured hairs. The leaves are oval and 2-6 cm long by 2-3 cm wide. The flowering shoots are in the axils of leaves and have 7-15 flowers. The fruit are 6-9 mm across.
Edible Uses
The fruit are made into juice.
Traditional Uses
The fruit are made into juice.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Medicinal 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.
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. It grows between 2,500-4,000 m above sea level.
Where It Grows
Andes, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, South America, Venezuela,
Synonyms
Also Known As
Borrachera, Cachuito, Chigunda, Chita mikuna, Cuso pata, Pato de gallo, Mullaca, Pata de gallo, Taglli
References (5)
- Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 383
- Kew Plants of the World On line
- NYBG
- Roa, J. A. G. & Boada, D. S. G., 2018, Fundación para el Fortalecimiento de la Fruticultura y Plantas Alimenticias no Convencionales en Colombia.
- Torre, de la, L., et al, 2008, Enciclopedia de las Plantas Útiles del Ecuador. Herbario QCA. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. p 312
