Gaylussacia
Encyclopedia
Gaylussacia is a genus of about fifty species of flowering plant
s in the family Ericaceae
, native to the Americas
, where they occur in eastern North America
(eight species) and in South America
in the Andes
(seven species) and the mountains of southeastern Brazil
(the remaining thirty-five species). Common English names include huckleberry
(shared with plants in several other genera) and "dangleberry".
They are deciduous
or evergreen
shrub
s growing to a height of 0.4-1.8 m.
Gaylussacia is named in honor of French chemist Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac
(1778-1850)
Gaylussacia species are used as food plants by the larva
e of some Lepidoptera
species including Coleophora gaylussaciella
(which feeds exclusively on Gaylussacia) and Coleophora multicristatella
.
Gaylussacia plants are often a component of an oak-heath forest.
, and it is still unclear whether the commonly understood line between Vaccinium and Gaylussacia is justified. A 2002 paper found that molecular data did not support past divisions of Gaylussacia into sections.
Gaylussacia frondosa is found in the eastern United States. It ranges from New Hampshire
down towards the lower Mississippi
region. This deciduous species flowers from June to July. Its berries are a dark blue color and are found on short, drooping stalks. This plant is an important source for wildlife
food in the New England
area.
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s in the family Ericaceae
Ericaceae
The Ericaceae, commonly known as the heath or heather family, is a group of mostly calcifuge flowering plants. The family is large, with roughly 4000 species spread across 126 genera, making it the 14th most speciose family of flowering plants...
, native to the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, where they occur in eastern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
(eight species) and in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
in the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
(seven species) and the mountains of southeastern Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
(the remaining thirty-five species). Common English names include huckleberry
Huckleberry
Huckleberry is a common name used in North America for several species of plants in two closely related genera in the family Ericaceae:* Vaccinium* GaylussaciaHuckleberry may also refer to:-Plants:...
(shared with plants in several other genera) and "dangleberry".
They are deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
or evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s growing to a height of 0.4-1.8 m.
Gaylussacia is named in honor of French chemist Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac
Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac
- External links :* from the American Chemical Society* from the Encyclopædia Britannica, 10th Edition * , Paris...
(1778-1850)
Gaylussacia species are used as food plants by the larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e of some Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
species including Coleophora gaylussaciella
Coleophora
Coleophora is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae. It contains some 1,350 described species. The genus is represented on all continents, but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions...
(which feeds exclusively on Gaylussacia) and Coleophora multicristatella
Coleophora
Coleophora is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae. It contains some 1,350 described species. The genus is represented on all continents, but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions...
.
Gaylussacia plants are often a component of an oak-heath forest.
Classification
Gaylussacia is closely related to VacciniumVaccinium
Vaccinium is a genus of shrubs or dwarf shrubs in the plant Family Ericaceae. The fruit of many species are eaten by humans and some are of commercial importance, including the cranberry, blueberry, bilberry or whortleberry, lingonberry or cowberry, and huckleberry...
, and it is still unclear whether the commonly understood line between Vaccinium and Gaylussacia is justified. A 2002 paper found that molecular data did not support past divisions of Gaylussacia into sections.
Species
- Gaylussacia amazonica. BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. - Gaylussacia amoena. South America.
- Gaylussacia angulata. South America.
- Gaylussacia angustifolia. South America.
- Gaylussacia baccataGaylussacia baccataGaylussacia baccata, the Black Huckleberry, is a common huckleberry found throughout a wide area of northeastern North America. It closely resembles the blueberry plants with which it grows, but can be readily identified by the numerous resin dots on the undersides of the leaves which glitter when...
Black Huckleberry. Southeastern CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, eastern United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. - Gaylussacia brachyceraGaylussacia brachyceraGaylussacia brachycera, commonly known as box huckleberry or box-leaved whortleberry, is a low North American shrub related to the blueberry and the other huckleberries. It is easily distinguished from other members of its genus by its leaves: they resemble those of boxwood and lack the resin...
Box Huckleberry. Eastern United StatesEastern United StatesThe Eastern United States, the American East, or simply the East is traditionally defined as the states east of the Mississippi River. The first two tiers of states west of the Mississippi have traditionally been considered part of the West, but can be included in the East today; usually in...
. - Gaylussacia brasiliensis. Southeast Brazil.
- Gaylussacia buxifolia Uva de Páramo. ColombiaColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, VenezuelaVenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. - Gaylussacia caparoensis. South America.
- Gaylussacia cardenasii. BoliviaBoliviaBolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
. - Gaylussacia centunculifolia. South America.
- Gaylussacia chamissonis. South America.
- Gaylussacia ciliosa. South America.
- Gaylussacia cinerea. South America.
- Gaylussacia decipiens. South America.
- Gaylussacia densa. South America.
- Gaylussacia duartei. South America.
- Gaylussacia dumosa Dwarf Huckleberry. Eastern United States.
- Gaylussacia fasciculata. South America.
- Gaylussacia frondosa Blue Huckleberry. Eastern United States.
- Gaylussacia gardneri. South America.
- Gaylussacia goyazensis. South America.
- Gaylussacia harleyi. South America.
- Gaylussacia incana. South America.
- Gaylussacia jordanensis. South America.
- Gaylussacia loxensis. EcuadorEcuadorEcuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, northern PeruPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. - Gaylussacia martii. South America.
- Gaylussacia montana. South America.
- Gaylussacia mosieri Woolly Huckleberry. Southeastern United StatesSoutheastern United StatesThe Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
. - Gaylussacia nana Confederate Huckleberry. Southeastern United States.
- Gaylussacia oleifolia. South America.
- Gaylussacia pallida. South America.
- Gaylussacia pinifolia. South America.
- Gaylussacia pruinosa. South America.
- Gaylussacia pseudociliosa. South America.
- Gaylussacia pseudogaultheria. South America.
- Gaylussacia pulchra. South America.
- Gaylussacia reticulata Southeast Brazil.
- Gaylussacia retivenia. South America.
- Gaylussacia retusa. South America.
- Gaylussacia rhododendron. South America.
- Gaylussacia riedelii. South America.
- Gaylussacia rigida. South America.
- Gaylussacia rugosa. South America.
- Gaylussacia salicifolia. South America.
- Gaylussacia setosa. South America.
- Gaylussacia tomentosa Hairy-twig Huckleberry. Southeastern United States.
- Gaylussacia ursina Bear Huckleberry. Southeastern United States.
- Gaylussacia virgata. South America.
- Gaylussacia vitis-idaea. South America.
Gaylussacia frondosa is found in the eastern United States. It ranges from New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
down towards the lower Mississippi
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
region. This deciduous species flowers from June to July. Its berries are a dark blue color and are found on short, drooping stalks. This plant is an important source for wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
food in the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
area.