Ericaceae

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Arecaceae.

Ericaceae
Leptecophylla juniperina
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Juss.[1]
Type genus
Erica
Subfamilies
Diversity
Over 120 genera

The Ericaceae (/ˌɛrɪˈkeɪsi.aɪ, -iː/) 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,[2] making it the 14th most species-rich family of flowering plants.[3] The many well known and economically important members of the Ericaceae include the cranberry, blueberry, huckleberry, rhododendron (including azaleas), and various common heaths and heathers (Erica, Cassiope, Daboecia, and Calluna for example).[4]

Description

The Ericaceae contain a morphologically diverse range of taxa, including

zygomorphic).[6] Anthers open by pores.[7]

Taxonomy

Michel Adanson used the term Vaccinia to describe a similar family, but Antoine Laurent de Jussieu first used the term Ericaceae. The name comes from the type genus Erica, which appears to be derived from the Greek word ereíkē (ἐρείκη). The exact meaning is difficult to interpret, but some sources show it as meaning 'heather'. The name may have been used informally to refer to the plants before Linnaean times, and simply been formalised when Linnaeus described Erica in 1753, and then again when Jussieu described the Ericaceae in 1789.[8]

Historically, the Ericaceae included both subfamilies and tribes. In 1971, Stevens, who outlined the history from 1876 and in some instances 1839, recognised six subfamilies (Rhododendroideae,

Ledum L., Tsusiophyllum Max., Menziesia J. E. Smith, that were eventually transferred into Rhododendron, along with Diplarche from the monogeneric tribe Diplarcheae.[10]

In 2002, systematic research resulted in the inclusion of the formerly recognised families Empetraceae, Epacridaceae, Monotropaceae, Prionotaceae, and Pyrolaceae into the Ericaceae based on a combination of molecular, morphological, anatomical, and embryological data, analysed within a

phylogenetic framework.[11] The move significantly increased the morphological and geographical range found within the group. One possible classification of the resulting family includes 9 subfamilies, 126 genera, and about 4000 species:[3]

Genera

See the full list at List of Ericaceae genera.
Daboecia cantabrica
, showing the typical fused, bell-shaped corolla

Distribution and ecology

The Ericaceae have a nearly worldwide distribution. They are absent from continental

neotropics.[12]

The family is largely composed of plants that can tolerate acidic, infertile, shady conditions.

oak-heath forest.[15] Plants in Ericaceae, especially species in Vaccinium, rely on buzz pollination for successful pollination to occur.[16]

The majority of ornamental species from Rhododendron are native to East Asia, but most varieties cultivated today are hybrids.[17][18] Most rhododendrons grown in the United States are cultivated in the Pacific Northwest. The United States is the top producer of both blueberries and cranberries, with the state of Maine growing the majority of lowbush blueberry.[19][20][21] The wide distribution of genera within Ericaceae has led to situations in which there are both American and European plants with the same name - for example, blueberry: Vaccinium corymbosum in North America, and Vaccinium myrtillus in Europe; and cranberry: Vaccinium macrocarpon in America, and Vaccinium oxycoccos in Europe.

Mycorrhizal relationships

Main article: Ericoid mycorrhiza

Like other stress-tolerant plants, many Ericaceae have

mixotrophic and gain sugars from the mycorrhizae, as well as nutrients.[23]

The cultivation of blueberries, cranberries, and

phytohormones.[26]

Heathlands

Main article: Heath

In many parts of the world, a "

Calluna vulgaris, Erica cineria, Erica tetralix, and Vaccinium myrtillus.[29][30]

In heathland, plants in Ericaceae serve as host plants to the butterfly

Plebejus argus.[31] Other insects, such as Saturnia pavonia, Myrmeleotettix maculatus, Metrioptera brachyptera, and Picromerus bidens are closely associated with heathland environments.[32] Reptiles thrive in heaths due to an abundance of sunlight and prey, and birds hunt the insects and reptiles which are present.[27]

Some evidence suggests

eutrophic rainwater can convert ericoid heaths with species such as Erica tetralix to grasslands. Nitrogen is particularly suspect in this regard, and may be causing measurable changes to the distribution and abundance of some ericaceous species.[25]

References

  1. hdl:10654/18083
    .
  2. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1
    .
  3. ^ a b Stevens, P.F. (2001 onwards). "Ericaceae". Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  4. PMID 21669741
    .
  5. ^ Patterson, Patricia A. (1985). Field Guide to the Forest Plants of Northern Idaho. United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. pp. 37–47.
  6. ^ Watson, L. & Dallwitz, M.J. (19 August 2014). "Ericaceae Juss". The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  7. ^ "Flowering Plant Families, UH Botany".
  8. ^ Jussieu, A.-L. de (1789). Genera plantarum ordines naturales disposita. Paris: Herissant & Barrois. pp. 159–160.
  9. ^ Stevens (1971).
  10. doi:10.3767/000651911X568594
    .
  11. S2CID 35699816
    .
  12. ^ "Ericales". www.mobot.org. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  13. ^ "Ericacea (Heath) Family and Their Culture". extension.psu.edu. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  14. ^ "Maine Natural Areas Program, Natural Community Fact Sheet for Subalpine Hanging Bog". www.maine.gov. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  15. ^ "Oak / Heath Forest". West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  16. PMID 29885226
    .
  17. ^ "Native Rhododendrons & Azaleas of North America". rhodyman.net. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  18. ^ "Hybrid Rhododendron". www.rhodyman.net. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  19. ^ "World Blueberry Production by Country". AtlasBig. 1 January 1970. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  20. ^ "World Cranberry Production by Country". AtlasBig. 1 January 1970. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  21. ^ "Blueberries" (PDF). Maine DOE.
  22. ^ "Department od Mycorrhizal Symbioses". www.ibot.cas.cz. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  23. PMID 28575199
    .
  24. ^ "Ericoid Mycorrhizal Fungi & Cranberry: Mutualisms with Potential – Wisconsin Fruit". fruit.wisc.edu. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  25. ^
    PMID 23223202
    .
  26. PMID 36466284
    .
  27. ^ a b "Heathland | Wildlife Watch". www.wildlifewatch.org.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  28. ISBN 978-0-12-816097-8
    , retrieved 4 December 2023
  29. ^ "Heathland Plants" (PDF). Surrey Wildlife Trust.
  30. ^ "Heathland and Moorland". Woodland Trust.
  31. S2CID 86813755
    .
  32. ^ "Heathland invertebrates and reptiles". www.natureconservationimaging.com. Retrieved 4 December 2023.

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ericaceae.
Wikispecies has information related to Ericaceae.
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