Flora of North America species comparison

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Gaultheria shallon

Gaultheria humifusa

salal, shallal

alpine spicy wintergreen, alpine teaberry, alpine-wintergreen
Habit Shrubs, creeping, not mat-forming, rhizomatous. Subshrubs, creeping, mat-forming, stoloniferous; roots adventitious or fibrous.
Stems

erect to partially erect, (greenish), 50–200+ cm, ± glandular-hairy, glabrescent.

spreading and repent, 10–30 cm, (slender), usually hirtellous, sometimes glabrous.
Leaf

blades oval to ovate or orbiculate to reniform, 4–8+ cm, base rounded or cordate, margins serrulate (teeth fimbriate apically), apex mucronate/apiculate or aristate, surfaces glabrous.

blades orbiculate, ovate, or broadly elliptic, 1–2.5 cm, base obtuse to rounded, margins serrulate (teeth bristle-tipped), apex obtuse or acute, surfaces glabrous.
Inflorescences

axillary, drooping, secund racemes;

peduncle deep pink to red, 7–15+ cm, densely glandular-hairy;

bracts white to light pink, deltate, 4–6 mm, not exceeding sepals, glandular-hairy marginally.

axillary, solitary flowers;

bracts green with reddish margins, broadly ovate, 2.5–3 mm, exceeding sepals, glabrous.
Pedicels

white, 7–10 mm, densely glandular-hairy;

bracteoles 1–5, pinkish white, parallel-veined, oblanceolate, 3–5 mm, densely glandular-hairy.

green, 0.5–1.5 mm, glabrous;

bracteoles 1–3, green or pink-tinged, deltate, 0.5–1 mm, glabrous.
Flowers

sepals 5, distinct nearly to base, dark pink to red, narrowly deltate, 3.5–5 mm, glandular-hairy (hairs reddish);

petals 5, connate nearly their entire lengths, white to light pink, 7–8 mm, densely glandular-hairy, corolla narrowly urceolate, lobes 1 mm;

filaments widest proximally, glabrous, papillose;

anthers with 2 apical, bifurcating awns, dehiscent by subterminal pores proximal to awns.

sepals 5, connate ca. 1/2 their lengths, red to deep pink, narrowly ovate, 2–2.5 mm, glabrous;

petals 5, connate basally, white to pale pink, 2.5–4 mm, glabrous, corolla campanulate, lobes (spreading), 1.5–3 mm;

filaments broadest proximally, glabrous;

anthers without awns, dehiscent by terminal pores.
Fruits

black-purple, 6–8 mm wide.

red, 5–7 mm wide.
2n

= 22, 44.

Gaultheria shallon

Gaultheria humifusa
Phenology Flowering May-early Jul; fruiting late Jul–Sep. Flowering Jun–Jul; fruiting Jul–Sep.
Habitat Woods and transition zones, moist soils, rocky or sandy cliffs, coastal bluffs Coniferous woodlands and in moist soils along stream banks, subalpine to alpine wet meadows, rocky mountain slopes
Elevation 0-1300 m (0-4300 ft) 900-3700 m (3000-12100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CA; OR; WA; BC [Introduced in nw Europe]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Fruits of Gaultheria shallon are a food source for animals, and the evergreen leaves provide additional food throughout the winter. This species has been used as a vegetative cover in disturbed areas because it spreads aggressively. The fresh and dried or smoked fruits were an important food of native peoples throughout its range. The evergreen leaves are used commercially in floral arrangements.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 8, p. 514. FNA vol. 8, p. 513.
Parent taxa Ericaceae > subfam. Vaccinioideae > Gaultheria Ericaceae > subfam. Vaccinioideae > Gaultheria
Sibling taxa
G. hispidula, G. humifusa, G. ovatifolia, G. procumbens, G. pyroloides
G. hispidula, G. ovatifolia, G. procumbens, G. pyroloides, G. shallon
Synonyms Vaccinium humifusum, G. myrsinites
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 283, plate 12. (1813) (Graham) Rydberg: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 1: 300. 1900 ,
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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