Scientific Name:
Gaultheria mucronata
Pronunciation:
gaul-THEER-ee-uh mew-kron-AY-tuh
Common Name:
pernettya; prickly heath
Family Name:
Ericaceae
Plant Type:
Broadleaf evergreen
Key ID Features:
Dense, small, evergreen shrub with small, alternate leaves that are dark green, ovate, and glossy, with a mucronate tip but no marginal spines; when looking head on, leaves appear very geometrically arranged; new stems are reddish; fruit a berry-like capsule (accessory tissue).
Habit:
Arching, Upright
Form:
Round
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
1.0 - 1.5m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
South America (S. Chile)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 6: (-23 to -18 °C)
Exposure:
Part sun/part shade, Filtered shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Acidic, Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Group or mass planting, Rock garden, Small garden/space, Spring interest
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Leathery, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Lustrous
Colour in Fall:
Green
Shapes:
Elliptic, Oblong, Ovate
Apices:
Mucronate
Bases:
Rounded
Margins:
Crenate
Additional Info:
spine-tipped
Inflorescence Type:
Flowers solitary, Floriferous
Flower Morphology:
Monoecious plant
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Urceolate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, White (white, sometimes pink-flushed)
Flower Scent:
Spicy
Flower Time at Peak:
May, Jun
Fruit Type:
Capsule, Edible
Fruit Colour:
White, Purple, Pink, Black (cultivar dependent)
Fruiting Time:
Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Showy, Accessory tissue, Edible, to 15cm wide; enclosed in a fleshy calyx; edible
Bark Morphology:
Moderately fissured
Bark or Stem Colour:
Red, Brown
Organ Modifications:
Rhizomes
Propagation:
Seed, Greenwood cuttings, Division - below ground parts
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
Fungal leaf spot, Galls (Rabbit resistant)
Course(s):
- not used (on campus)
Location(s):
- (ONE) Overpass North side East : by wood utility fence