Comarostaphylis

Illustrator: Yevonn Wilson-Ramsey

Copyright: Flora of North America Association

Shrubs or trees, burled, (capable of sprouting after fire); bark gray to reddish, peeling to shredding [flaking, exfoliating, sometimes in patches]. Stems usually erect to spreading, rarely trailing or mat-forming, branching, glabrous or densely hairy. Leaves persistent [rarely facultatively drought-deciduous], bifacial; blade narrowly ovate to ovate or elliptic to obovate or broadly ovate, coriaceous, margins usually serrate to serrulate, rarely subentire, plane or revolute, abaxial surface usually densely gray-tomentose, rarely subglabrous, adaxial (green, shining), usually glabrous, sometimes hairy along midvein. Inflorescences racemes [panicles], solitary or clustered, 5–30-flowered. Flowers bisexual; sepals (drying) persistent, (4–)5, distinct or slightly connate, narrowly triangular to subulate or nearly acicular; petals (4–)5, (imbricate), connate for 3/4+ their lengths, white [greenish white, pale yellow, pink, or red], corolla cylindric to nearly globose; stamens 10, included; filaments dilated near base; anthers with 2 dorsal awns, dehiscent by 2 slits 1/4–1/2 as long as anthers; ovary 5-locular, (papillate); stigma slightly capitate. Drupes red [nearly black to dark purple], globose, juicy, warty, granular, or papillate (with multicellular papillae radiating ± perpendicularly outward); pyrenes 5, connate into solid, thick-walled, stonelike, globose endocarp. Seeds 5, connate. x = 13.

Distribution

Calif., Mexico, Central America.

Discussion

Arctostaphylos Adanson sect. Comarostaphylis (Zuccarini) A. Gray; Arctostaphylos subg. Comarostaphylis (Zuccarini) A. Gray

Species 10 (1 in the flora).

Selected References

Diggs, G. M. 1987. Numerical systematics of Comarostaphylis (Arbuteae, Ericaceae). Syst. Bot. 12: 586–600.

Diggs, G. M. 1995. Comarostaphylis. In: Organization for Flora Neotropica. 1968+. Flora Neotropica. 98+ nos. New York. No. 66, pp. 146–193.

Lower Taxa

Comarostaphylis diversifolia