9. Agapetes odontocera (Wight) J.D. Hooker ERICACEAE

This subtropical relation of the blaeberry (or blueberry) comes from the Khasia Hills in the Indian State of Meghalaya, where it was discovered by William Griffith in the 1830s. This collection was made in the same hills, 140 years later, by David Chamberlain, a rhododendron expert working at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Its beautifully marked, waxy flowers are described as ‘cauliflorous’, being borne directly on old woody stems. The plant was first described by the East India Company surgeon Robert Wight in the genus Vaccinium; and the specific name ‘odontocera’ refers to the toothed, horn-shaped extensions to the anthers.