Agarista coriifolia
Agarista coriifolia is a Brazilian shrub or small tree in the heath family, Ericaceae. It is a variable species, with thick leaves and small tubular or urn-shaped flowers.[1] Kew accepts the species in Agarista.[2]
Appearance
Judd's treatment describes plants usually reaching three metres, occasionally five. The leaves vary from oval to oblong, with bases ranging from heart-shaped to wedge-shaped. Flowers can be greenish white, white or red; the fruit is a dry capsule containing small seeds.[1]
A study of Serra de São José and Serra do Lenheiro described much shorter plants of the typical variety, half a metre to one metre tall, with pink flowers. Its leaf undersides were mostly hairless, apart from possible hairs along the middle vein, and had conspicuous dark gland pits associated with smaller veins. These measurements describe the material studied in that region.[3]
Distribution and habitat
The species occurs in Brazil's rocky upland vegetation. The Bahia flora records it in Bahia, Goiás, Minas Gerais and São Paulo, including rocky and grassy sites.[4] Judd's earlier account also includes thickets and forest margins, often near streams.[1]
A Bolivian herbarium specimen formerly identified as A. coriifolia was reassessed by Dalastra and colleagues. In 2026 they described it as the distinct species Agarista lanceolata. That corrected identification does not extend the range of A. coriifolia into Bolivia.[5]
Names and varieties
Older combinations include Andromeda coriifolia and Leucothoe coriifolia. Judd distinguished the typical variety, var. coriifolia, from var. bradei, chiefly through leaf shape, leaf-base shape and the distribution of gland dots.[1]
Kew continues to accept var. bradei.[6] The 2023 Bahia flora, however, found these characters overlapping in its specimens and did not formally recognise the varieties. The disagreement concerns subdivision within the species; it does not require treating the plants as separate species.[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Judd, W. S. Agarista coriifolia and its varieties. New York Botanical Garden, electronic treatment based on Flora Neotropica Monograph 66 (1995). Accessed 9 October 2026.
- ↑ Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Agarista: accepted species. Plants of the World Online. Accessed 9 October 2026.
- ↑ Garcia, L. and Nascimento Jr, J. (2025). Ericaceae from Serra de São José and Serra do Lenheiro, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Rodriguésia 76, e00832024; doi:10.1590/2175-7860202576012, account 1.1. Accessed 9 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sampaio, A. A., Romão, G. O., Dórea, M. C. and Oliveira, R. P. (2023). Flora da Bahia: Agarista (Ericaceae). Sitientibus série Ciências Biológicas 23; doi:10.13102/scb9151, pp.2–3. Accessed 9 October 2026.
- ↑ Dalastra, C. H., Loeuille, B. and Heiden, G. (2026). Agarista lanceolata (Ericaceae), a new species from Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Kew Bulletin 81, 319–328; doi:10.1007/s12225-025-10340-6. Accessed 9 October 2026.
- ↑ Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Agarista coriifolia var. bradei: accepted-variety record. Plants of the World Online. Accessed 9 October 2026.