Gaultheria sclerophylla

Native to Colombia, Ecuador, western Venezuela and western Bolivia, this low shrub grows in wet páramo, mountain thickets and rocky highland habitats. Thick, leathery leaves have toothed margins and conspicuous veins. Some forms have dense hairs on young branches and the undersides of the leaves. Short clusters of red, urn-shaped flowers develop in the leaf axils. The calyx later enlarges around the capsule, forming a blue-black, berry-like structure. In Colombia, it grows at about 10,500 to 13,100 feet. Flowering and fruiting are most frequent from September to January. Photographed in Colombia.