Comarostaphylis glaucescens (Kunth) Zucc. ex Klotzsch

  • Family

    Ericaceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Comarostaphylis glaucescens (Kunth) Zucc. ex Klotzsch

  • Primary Citation

    Linnaea 24: 76. 1851

  • Basionym

    Arctostaphylos glaucescens Kunth

  • Common Names

    madroño chino, madroño

  • Description

    Description: rect, evergreen or facultatively drought-deciduous shrubs to small trees to 1 m tall and 25 cm dbh, base to 32.3 cm diam.; bark peeling or flaking, gray or brown to reddish-orange; young twigs usually hirtellous, with stalked, swollen-headed, and glandular trichomes, eglandular trichomes also present. Leaves not coriaceous or only slightly so, narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate or oblong, plane to slightly revolute, 3-9.5 x 0.6-3 cm, basally cuneate, apically obtuse to acute, sometimes mucronate, marginally entire or subentire, upper surface glabrous, glabrate, or with scattered trichomes, lower surface glabrous or with eglandular trichomes, usually glaucous; midrib pubescent, trichomes glandular or not; petioles 2-6.5 mm long, usually glandular hirtellous. Inflorescences racemose or sometimes paniculate, 3.3-10.7 cm long; rachis, pedicels, bracts, bracteoles, and calyx subglabrous to tomentose or hirsute, the trichomes usually stalked, swollen-headed, and glandular, or eglandular; floral bracts broadly lanceolate to ovate, navicular or carinate, 1.6-4.5 x 1-2.4 mm, acute to acuminate, ciliate, trichomes glandular or not; corollas 5-10 x 4-7.1 mm, glabrous, bright to deep red (rarely pink?), lobes 0.8-2 x 1.4-2.6 mm; stamens 2.8-3.8 mm long; filaments 2.6-3.6 mm long, villous (glabrous? fide type description); anthers 1.3-1.7 x 0.7-1 mm, the spurs 0.3-0.8 mm long; ovary glabrous or pubescent; style 3.7-5.6 mm long, glabrous. Fruit drupaceous, 5-7 mm in diam., red when immature, dark purple to black at maturity; seeds 2-2.4 x 1-1.4 mm, surface reticulate.

    Distribution: Endemic to Mexico, from Oaxaca extending north and west as far as San Luis Potosí, Jalisco, and Sinaloa, in rather dry Quercus-Pinus forests, at elevations of 1525-2600 m.

    Type: Mexico. Guanjuato: Between Guanajuato and Valenciana, 1976 m, Humboldt & Bonpland s.n. (holotype, P, n.v., photo, F neg. 38223).

  • Floras and Monographs

    Comarostaphylis glaucescens (Kunth) Zucc. ex Klotzsch: [Article] Luteyn, James L., et al. 1995. Ericaceae, Part II. The Superior-Ovaried Genera (Monotropoideae, Pyroloideae, Rhododendroideae, and Vaccinioideae P.P.). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 66: 560.