Gaultheria gracilis Small, N. Amer. Fl. 29:  77.  1914.  Illustrated:  Wilbur & Luteyn, Fl. Panama, Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 65: 86.  1978.  Type. Costa Rica.  San José:  La Palma, 1550 m, Aug 1898 (fl, early fr),  Tonduz 7463 (holotype, US, photo Corcoran neg. 38;  isotype, M).
     
    Gaultheria barbata Small, N. Amer. Fl. 29: 77.  1914.  Type.  Costa Rica. Alajuela: Volcán Poás, 2600 m, 31 Mar 1907 (fl), Pittier 2051 (holotype, US, photo Corcoran neg. 37).
    Gaultheria setosa Small, N. Amer. Fl. 29: 77.  1914.  Type.  Panama.  Chiriquí:  S slope of Cerro Horqueta, Las Siguas Camp, 1700 m, 17-19 Mar 1911 (fl), Pittier 3245 (holotype, US, photo Corcoran neg. 36).
    [Gaultheria gracilis Small var. intermedia Suessenguth & Goeppinger, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 72: 282.  1942,  nom. nud.  Type.  Costa Rica. Alajuela:  Volcán Poás, 2678 m, 27 Mar 1932 (fl), Kupper 889 (holotype, M). Latin diagnosis not included.]


         Terrestrial or sometimes epiphytic shrub, 0.4-2 m tall;  mature stems terete, striate, glabrous;  bark fissured, cracking into longitudinal strips, brown, grayish, or blackish;  twigs terete, glabrous to puberulent, and also moderately to densely appressed-strigose with rigid, straight, basally swollen, tan to hyaline, eglandular hairs to 2.5 mm long (hirsute with stramineous to dark brown hairs 1-4(-5) mm long, or glabrate and then appearing reddish punctate from remaining swollen bases of hairs);  buds ovate, scales striate, glabrous or puberulent but ciliate, light brown.  Leaves coriaceous, surface flat (+ bullate), elliptic to ovate-elliptic, (3-)4-6(-8.5) x (1-)1.5-2.5(-3.5) cm, base acute, or cuneate to obtuse (rounded), apex long-acuminate to acute, margin minutely and inconspicuously serrulate with each tooth terminating in an appressed bristle 1-2.2 mm long, sparsely to densely appressed strigose above with deciduous, basally swollen hairs to 2 mm long, conspicuously and usually densely appressed strigose beneath with stramineous to ferruginous hairs to 3 mm long;  midrib impressed above and raised beneath, lateral nerves (2-3 per side) impressed to slightly raised above and conspicuously raised beneath, reticulate veinlets moderately raised on both surfaces;  petiole subterete, flattened and sometimes strongly canaliculate above, appearing papillate from swollen bases of deciduous hairs, 4-7 mm long, short-puberulent or glabrate and often also strigose with hairs to 2.5 mm long.  Inflorescence racemose, 6-9(-14)-flowered;  rachis subterete, often ridged, (2-)3-7(-8) cm long, moderately to densely short-pilose with white hairs (also bearing few, spreading, minutely gland-tipped hairs to 4 mm long, or densely strigose with eglandular hairs);  pedicels terete, striate, 5-10(-12) mm long, moderately to densely short-pilose (densely strigose);  bracteoles continuous with and borne along middle half of pedicel, strongly divergent, papyraceous, linear to narrowly oblong, 2-4.5 x 0.5-1 mm, ciliolate and sometimes densely short-pilose at tip (strigose);  floral bract persistent, continuous with pedicel (not rachis), membranous to chartaceous, conspicuously striate, cucullate, strongly divergent from the pedicel, broadly elliptic to spatulate, 3-10(-14) x 2-6 mm, ciliate (glandular-fimbriate distally), puberulous or glabrous on both surfaces  (also densely strigose on outer surface).  Flowers with calyx glabrous (or densely strigose-villous), 3.5-5 mm long, lobes ovate to deltoid, 2-3 x 1.8-2.5 mm, acute to acuminate, ciliate, short-pilose within;  corolla urceolate to cylindric-urceolate, terete, 4-8 x 3-4 mm, glabrous or moderately to densely strigose  (densely strigose-villous with stramineous to golden-tawny, eglandular or minutely gland-tipped hairs 0.2-0.6 mm long), puberulent within, greenish or white to rose when fresh, lobes oblong to triangular, 1-1.5 mm long;  stamens 2.3-3 mm long;  filaments 1.5-2.2 mm long, glabrous or weakly pilose;  anthers 1-1.3 mm long, awns prominent;  ovary glabrous or weakly short-pilose;  style 2.5-4 mm long, glabrous.  Fruiting calyx to 9 mm diam., glabrous, blue-black.

         Distribution (Map).  Endemic to Costa Rica and adjacent western Panama where it is found in cloud and elfin forests, high-elevation bogs, disturbed forest, and remnant trees in pasturelands at elevations of (1100-)1400-2700(-3140) m.  Flowering and fruiting occur throughout the year.

        Cultivated:  E.