Gaultheria pyrolifolia J. D. Hooker ex C. B. Cl.

In FRPS (57(3): 51. 1991) this species was treated as Gaultheria pyroloides J. D. Hooker & Thomson ex Miquel (Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugduno-Batavi 1: 30. 1863), which was described from Japan. The name G. miqueliana Takeda is a synonym. Airy Shaw (Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1940: 318. 1941) restricted the name G. pyroloides to the Japanese species described by Miquel. Therefore, the Himalayan species described here must be called G. pyrolifolia.

Shrubs suberect or creeping, 3–15 cm tall. Twigs terete, substriate, glabrous, sometimes puberulous. Leaves near twig apices; petiole 1–3(–5) mm, glabrous or sparsely hispid; leaf blade obovate or elliptic to suborbicular, 1.3–5 × 0.8–2.5 cm, leathery, glabrous or abaxially sparsely hispidulous, secondary veins 3(or 4) pairs, fine veins distinctly raised abaxially, impressed adaxially, base cuneate to rounded, margin crenate, apex obtuse-rounded, apiculate. Inflorescences from upper foliate axils, racemose, 1–1.5 cm, 2–5-flowered, glabrous, pubescent, or sparsely hispid; bracts ovate, ca. 4 mm, glabrous. Pedicel 2–5 mm, glabrous, pubescent, or sparsely hispid; bracteoles 2, above middle, ovate-lanceolate, ca. 3 mm, glabrous. Calyx lobes triangular-ovate, 2–2.5 mm, glabrous. Corolla white, pinkish at mouth, urceolate or globose-urceolate, ca. 5 mm, abaxially glabrous; lobes reflexed, short. Filaments dilated, 1–1.7 mm, papillate; anthers ca. 1.3 mm; thecae 2-awned. Ovary glabrous. Calyx at fruiting dark purple; capsule 4–6 mm in diam. Fl. Jun–Aug, fr. Aug–Sep.

SE Xizang, NW Yunnan [Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sikkim].

Alpine windswept moorlands, thickets, grasslands; 3600–4000 m.