Ericaceae
The Ericaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the heath or heather family, found most commonly in acidic and infertile growing conditions. The family is large, with c.4250 known species spread across 124 genera, making it th ...
, containing nineteen
genera
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
, and 1,790 species, the largest of which is ''
Rhododendron
''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...
leaves
A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...
with flat laminae. The pedicel is articulated and the
flowers
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...
are pendulous or erect, and monosymmetric, with an abaxial median
sepal
A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coine ...
. The
carpels
Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) '' pistils' ...
are free and the
anthers
The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...
tribes
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...
Ceratiola
''Ceratiola'' is a genus of flowering plants with a single species, ''Ceratiola ericoides'', the sand heath, sandhill-rosemary or Florida-rosemary, is a species of shrub usually included in the plant family Ericaceae, though treated by some bota ...
'' – ''
Corema
''Corema'' is a genus of two species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae. They are dioecious small shrubs.
Species
* '' Corema album'' (L.) D. Don ex Steud. '' Corema album'' is also known for it common name ''Camarinha'' or Portuguese ...
'' – ''
Empetrum
''Empetrum'' is a genus of three species of dwarf evergreen shrubs in the heath family Ericaceae. They are commonly known as crowberries and bear edible fruit. They are commonly found in the northern hemisphere, from temperate to subarctic clima ...
'' (plus ''Diplarche'', treated as a synonym of ''Rhododendron'' by
Plants of the World Online
Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was launched in March 2017 with the ultimate aim being "to enable users to access information on all the world's known seed-bearing plants by ...
Calluna
''Calluna vulgaris'', common heather, ling, or simply heather, is the sole species in the genus ''Calluna'' in the flowering plant family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing evergreen shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found ...
'' – '' Daboecia'' – '' Erica'' (plus ''Bruckenthalia'', treated as a synonym of ''Erica'' by Plants of the World Online)
* Tribe Phyllodoceae
** Genera: '' Bejaria'' – ''
Elliottia
''Elliottia'' is a genus of plants in the Ericaceae, with four species, two in North America and two in Japan. It is named after botanist Stephen Elliott Stephen Elliott may refer to:
Entertainment
*Stephen Elliott (actor), (1918–2005), Ameri ...
Rhododendron
''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...
'' (plus '' Menziesia'' and ''Therorhodion'', treated as synonyms of ''Rhododendron'' by Plants of the World Online)
List of genera:Stevens, P.F. (2001 onwards) "List of Genera in Ericaceae" ''Angiosperm Phylogeny Website''. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
* '' Bejaria''
* '' Bryanthus''
* ''
Calluna
''Calluna vulgaris'', common heather, ling, or simply heather, is the sole species in the genus ''Calluna'' in the flowering plant family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing evergreen shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found ...
''
* ''
Ceratiola
''Ceratiola'' is a genus of flowering plants with a single species, ''Ceratiola ericoides'', the sand heath, sandhill-rosemary or Florida-rosemary, is a species of shrub usually included in the plant family Ericaceae, though treated by some bota ...
''
* ''
Corema
''Corema'' is a genus of two species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae. They are dioecious small shrubs.
Species
* '' Corema album'' (L.) D. Don ex Steud. '' Corema album'' is also known for it common name ''Camarinha'' or Portuguese ...
Elliottia
''Elliottia'' is a genus of plants in the Ericaceae, with four species, two in North America and two in Japan. It is named after botanist Stephen Elliott Stephen Elliott may refer to:
Entertainment
*Stephen Elliott (actor), (1918–2005), Ameri ...
''
* ''
Empetrum
''Empetrum'' is a genus of three species of dwarf evergreen shrubs in the heath family Ericaceae. They are commonly known as crowberries and bear edible fruit. They are commonly found in the northern hemisphere, from temperate to subarctic clima ...
Kalmiopsis
''Kalmiopsis'' is a small genus of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae.
Species
It contains two species, which are endemic to Oregon in the United States.Ledothamnus''
* '' Phyllodoce''
* ''
Rhododendron
''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...