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.
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 mountainareas, 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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