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''Gaultheria depressa'', commonly known as the mountain snow berry or alpine wax berry, is a small ground hugging shrub of the heath family Ericaceae native to rocky alpine areas of Tasmania, Australia, and New Zealand. Joseph Dalton Hooker described ''Gaultheria depressa'' in 1847 from a collection by Ronald Campbell Gunn at Ben Lomond in Tasmania. The species name is Latin ''depressa'' "flat". Two subspecies are recognised, ''depressa'' from Tasmania and New Zealand, and ''novae-zealandiae'' from New Zealand. Analysis of DNA shows the next closest relative to ''Gaultheria depressa'' is the New Zealand species ''Gaultheria antipoda'', which suggests the Australian populations of ''G. depressa'' dispersed to Australia from New Zealand. The next closest relative to the two species is the New Zealand species ''Gaultheria oppositifolia''. In Australia, ''Gaultheria depressa'' is a prostrate shrub 10 to 20 cm (4–8 in) high and 50 to 150 cm (20–60 in) across. It grows larger in New Zealand. The small leaves are oval to round and measure 0.5 to 1 cm (0.2–0.4 in) in length, and have serrate margins. The small white tubular flowers appear from September to January and are followed by white or red fruit which are around 1 cm in diameter. In New Zealand, the prostrate habit and dependent fruit shielded by foliage from above suggest it is suited for dispersal by lizards. Furthermore, the ground weta species (''Zealandosandrus maculifrons'') has been recorded eating the fruit. It is suitable for rockeries in gardens in temperate climates, and has been available commercially in England. It prefers a well drained acidic soil in part shade.〔 ==References== 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gaultheria depressa」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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