Section Gaultheria sect. Diplycosia in Genus Gaultheria

In botanical taxonomy, a section is a rank used to group closely related species within a genus (often within a subgenus, when that rank is used). In the hierarchy, section sits below subgenus (or directly below genus where subgenera aren’t recognized) and above subsection, series, and species.

Sections group species that share distinctive morphological or genetic features and are more closely related to one another than to species in other sections of the same genus.

Where finer resolution is needed, sections may be subdivided into subsections and then series, helping botanists clarify relationships within large, diverse genera.

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