Interesting Facts
Description
Family Ericaceae
Plants
usually woody, or herbs, sometimes lacking chlorophyll. Leaves spiral
, sometimes decussate, margin
often toothed
. Inflorescence racemose; bracteoles paired
, basal. Flowers (4 or) 5-merous. Calyx imbricate. Corolla connate
, imbricate. Stamens 10, sometimes with spurs or awns
, dehiscing by pores
, pollen in tetrads
, rarely single. Ovary superior or inferior, placentation axile
, rarely parietal
, often many ovules per locule. Style ± as long as corolla, slender. Fruit a capsule or berry, rarely a drupe; calyx persistent.
About 125 genera and 4000 species: widely distributed in temperate
and subarctic
regions, also at high elevations
in tropical regions
; 22 genera and 826 species (524 endemic) in China.
The Monotropoideae are here included
in the Ericaceae; previously in FRPS (56: 157 216. 1990), they were treated as the Pyrolaceae. Chiogenes, recorded from China in FRPS (57(3) : 69 71. 1991), is here included in Gaultheria. Over the last half century, the Empetraceae have usually been separated from, but closely associated with, the Ericaceae. In their ecology, leaf morphology and insertion
, rusts, embryology, stamen anatomy, etc.
, they largely agree with that family
. Molecular data place Empetrum and its relatives firmly within the Ericaceae, and in particular within the subfamily
Ericoideae, in agreement with phytochemical and palynological data, and there they are best recognized as a separate tribe
. There are distinctive features of the Empetreae that were responsible for their past familial status, e.g.
, reduced perianth with separate members
, low ovule number, enlarged stigmas, etc. However, these are likely to be derived features associated with wind pollination. See Kron et al.
(Bot. Rev. 68: 335 423. 2002) and the recent treatment of the Ericaceae by Stevens et al. (in Kubitzki, Fam. Gen. Vasc. Pl. 6: 145 194. 2004) .
Several genera and many species are ornamentals
. Some fruits of Vaccinium in N China are sweet and edible, but of no particular value to humans. Some species of Chamaedaphne, Craibiodendron, Leucothoë, Lyonia, Pieris, and Rhododendron contain more or less toxic
diterpenes, which are harmful to humans or domestic animals.[1]
Genus Vaccinium
Shrubs
or small trees
, terrestrial
or epiphytic. Leaves evergreen
or deciduous, rarely pseudoverticillate
, petiolate
, margin
entire or serrate. Inflorescences terminal
or axillary
, racemose, fasciculate, or solitary flowers. Bracts and bracteoles persistent
or caducous
, the latter small, basal, rarely apical; pedicel expanded towards apex or not, articulate
, rarely continuous. Flowers 5-, rarely 4-merous. Calyx limb lobed
or toothed
. Corolla urceolate
, campanulate
, or tubular
, lobed or toothed, usually to base
of limb; lobes
erect
or recurved, mostly shorter than tube
, rarely longer
or petals apparently free
. Stamens rarely 4, usually included
; anthers
with 2 spurs at anther-filament junction or not; thecae with tubules
opening by a terminal pore or introrse
slit. Disk annular
. Ovary inferior, usually 8- or 10-pseudoloculed by false partitions; locule with many ovules; stigma inconspicuous, truncate
. Fruit a several seeded globose
berry. Seeds ovoid
, small, testa hard or mucilaginous
.
About 450 species: throughout the N hemisphere, also in the mountains of tropical
Asia and Central and South America, a few species in Africa and Madagascar; 92 species (51 endemic) in China.
The limits
of Vaccinium are very uncertain. Recent molecular work, supported by morphology and anatomy
, suggests that it is likely that the majority of Chinese species, i.e.
, those with 10-pseudoloculed ovaries, form part of the same lineage
as Agapetes.[2]
Habitat
Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 1,603 meters (0 to 5,259 feet).[3]
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
)
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
)
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
)
- Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Vascular Plants
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
)
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
(
)
- Kenrick & Crane, 1997
- Class:
Spermatopsida
(
)
- Brongniart, 1843
- Subclass:
Asteridae
(
)
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Superorder:
Ericanae
(
)
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Order:
Ericales
(
)
- Dumortier, 1829
- Family:
Ericaceae
(
)
- A.L. de Jussieu, 1789, nom. cons.
- éricacées, heaths
- Subfamily:
Vaccinioideae
(
)
- Tribe:
Vaccinieae
(
)
- Genus:
Vaccinium
(
)
- C. Linnaeus, 1753
- Blueberry
- Specific epithet:
poasanum
- Donn.Sm.
- Botanical name: - Vaccinium poasanum Donn.Sm.
- Specific epithet:
poasanum
- Donn.Sm.
- Genus:
Vaccinium
(
- Tribe:
Vaccinieae
(
- Subfamily:
Vaccinioideae
(
- Family:
Ericaceae
(
- Order:
Ericales
(
- Superorder:
Ericanae
(
- Subclass:
Asteridae
(
- Class:
Spermatopsida
(
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
(
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Synonyms
Symphysia poasana (Donn. Sm.) Kloet
Notes
A tentatively accepted name in the RHS Horticultural Database.
Similar Species
Members of the genus Vaccinium
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 171 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:
V. ambivalens (Big-Scaled Black Smelt) · V. angustifolium (Lowbush Blueberry) · V. angustifolium f. leucoarpum (Upland Lowbush Blueberry) · V. angustifolium var. integrifolium (Upland Lowbush Blueberry) · V. arboreum (Farkleberry) · V. arctostaphylos (Caucasian Whortleberry) · V. ashei 'Aliceblue' (Rabbiteye Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Austin' (Rabbiteye Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Baldwin' (Rabbiteye Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Beckyblue' (Rabbiteye Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Bluebelle' (Rabbiteye Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Bluegem' (Rabbiteye Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Blueray' (Rabbiteye Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Bonita' (Rabbiteye Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Brightwell' (Rabbiteye Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Briteblue' (Rabbitteye Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Centurion' (Rabbiteye Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Chaucer' (Rabbiteye Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Choice' (Rabbiteye Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Climax' (Rabbiteye Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Delight' (Rabbiteye Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Ira' (Rabbiteye Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Jubilee' (Jubilee Rabbiteye Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Misty' (Misty Rabbiteye Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Montgomery' (Rabbiteye Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Ochlockonee' (Rabbiteye Blueberry 'ochlockonee') · V. ashei 'O'Neal' (O'neal Rabbiteye Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Powderblue' (Rabbiteye Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Premier' (Rabbiteye Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Snowflake' (Rabbiteye Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Sunshine Blue' (Sunshine Blue Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Tifblue' (Rabbiteye Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Windy' (Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Woodard' (Rabbiteye Blueberry) · V. ashei 'Yadkin' (Rabbiteye Blueberry) · V. atlanticum (Atlantic Huckleberry) · V. boreale (Northern Blueberry) · V. caesariense (New Jersey Blueberry) · V. caespitosum (Dwarf Bilberry) · V. caespitosum var. caespitosum (Dwarf Bilberry) · V. caespitosum var. paludicola (Dwarf Bilberry) · V. calycinum (Blueberry) · V. carolinianum (Carolina Huckleberry) · V. corymbosum (Blueberry) · V. corymbosum 'Aurora' (Blueberry 'aurora') · V. corymbosum 'Berkeley' (Northern Highbush Blueberry) · V. corymbosum 'Bluecrop' (Northern Highbush Blueberry) · V. corymbosum 'Bluegold' (Northern Highbush Blueberry) · V. corymbosum 'Bluejay' (Northern Highbush Blueberry) · V. corymbosum 'Blue Ray' (Northern Highbush Blueberry) · V. corymbosum 'Brigitta' (Highbush Blueberry) · V. corymbosum 'Carteret' (Blueberry 'carteret') · V. corymbosum 'Chandler' (Highbush Blueberry) · V. corymbosum 'Chippewa' (Highbush Blueberry) · V. corymbosum 'Darrow' (Northern Highbush Blueberry) · V. corymbosum 'Draper' (Blueberry 'draper') · V. corymbosum 'Duke' (Highbush Blueberry) · V. corymbosum 'Earliblue' (Highbush Blueberry) · V. corymbosum 'Elliot' (Northern Highbush Blueberry) · V. corymbosum 'Herbert' (Highbush Blueberry) · V. corymbosum 'Hodnett' (Northern Highbush Blueberry) · V. corymbosum 'Hortblue Petite' (Blueberry 'hortblue Petite') · V. corymbosum 'Ivanhoe' (Northern Highbush Blueberry) · V. corymbosum 'Jersey' (Northern Highbush Blueberry) · V. corymbosum 'Liberty' (High-Bush Blueberry) · V. corymbosum 'Lucia' (Blueberry 'lucia') · V. corymbosum 'New Hanover' (Blueberry 'new Hanover') · V. corymbosum 'Northland' (Northland Blueberry) · V. corymbosum 'Olympia' (Highbush Blueberry) · V. corymbosum 'Patriot' (Northern Highbush Blueberry) · V. corymbosum 'Polaris' (Highbush Blueberry) · V. corymbosum 'Rubel' (Highbush Blueberry) · V. corymbosum 'Scintilla' (Blueberry 'scintilla') · V. corymbosum 'Sharpblue' (Sharpblue Blueberry) · V. corymbosum 'Snowchaser' (Blueberry 'snowchaser') · V. corymbosum 'Sunshine Blue' (Dwarf Blueberry) · V. crassifolium (Creeping Blueberry) · V. crassifolium subsp. sempervirens (Creeping Blueberry) · V. crassifolium 'Well's Delight' (Creeping Blueberry) · V. cylindraceum (Azores Blueberry) · V. darrowii (Darrow's Blueberry) · V. delavayi (Delaway Blueberry) · V. deliciosum (Cascade Bilberry) · V. dentatum ('ohelo) · V. dobbinii (Dobbin's Huckleberry) · V. elliottii (Elliott's Blueberry) · V. erythrocarpum (Southern Mountain Cranberry) · V. floribundum (Andean Blueberry) · V. floribundum var. ramosissimum (Colombian Blueberry) · V. formosum (Southern Blueberry) · V. fuscatum (Black Highbush Blueberry) · V. fuscatum var. angustifolium (Black Highbush Blueberry) · V. geminiflorum (Mexican Blueberry) · V. hirsutum (Hairy Blueberry) · V. ligustrinum (He-Huckleberry) · V. macrocarpon (American Cranberry) · V. macrocarpon 'Hamilton' (Dwarf Cranberry) · V. macrocarpon 'Stevens' (Cranberry) · V. margarettiae (Margarett's Huckleberry) · V. marianum (Vaccinium)
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- Contributions to the flora of Venezuela: from Ericaceae through Compositae / Julian A. Steyermark and collaborators. 28 1953 Chicago, Ill.: Chicago Natural History Museum, 1953. url p. 454.
- Flora Costaricensis / William Burger, editor. 45 2005 Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, c2005. url fig. 2 , p. 100, p. 101, p. 107, p. 4, p. 6, p. 66, p. 95, p. 96.
- Flora of Costa Rica. .. by Paul C. Standley. .. 18 1938 Chicago, 1937. url p. 883.
- Flora of Guatemala / Paul C. Standley and Louis O. Williams. 24 1966 Chicago, Ill.: Chicago Natural History Museum, 1966. url p. 122, p. 126.
- Tropical American plants, VII / Louis O. Williams. 31 1965 Chicago, Ill.: Chicago Natural History Museum, 1965. url p. 174.
- Chou Yiliang & Zhou Ruichang. 1990. Pyrolaceae. In: Fang Wenpei & Hu Wenkuang, eds., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 56: 157216
- Fang Rhuicheng, Yang Hanbi & Chin Tsenli. 1999. Ericaceae (1). In: Fang Rhuicheng, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 57(1): 1213
- Hsu Tingzhi, Gao Baochun, Fang Rhuicheng & Huang Shuhua. 1991. Ericaceae (3). In: Fang Rhuicheng, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 57(3): 1207
- Hu Wenkuang, Hu Lincheng, Fang Mingyuan & He Mingyou. 1994. Ericaceae (2). In: Hu Lincheng, Fang Mingyuan, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 57(2): 1438
- Ming Tien lu. 1980. Empetraceae. In: Cheng Mien & Ming Tien lu, eds., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 45(1): 6062.
Notes
Contributors
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed March 27, 2012.
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 12, 2007:
- Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad
- , Biodiversidad de Costa Rica
- Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
- SysTax, Herbarium Universitat Ulm
- SysTax, SysTax
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 3422248
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 15475195
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:859090-1
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 899327
Footnotes
- Mingyuan Fang, Ruizheng Fang, Mingyou He, Linzheng Hu, Hanbi Yang, Haining Qin, Tianlu Min, David F. Chamberlain, Peter Stevens, Gary D. Wallace & Arne Anderberg "Ericaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 14 Page 242. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
- Fang Rhui-cheng, Peter F. Stevens "Vaccinium". in Flora of China Vol. 14 Page 476. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
- Mean = 881.070 meters (2,890.650 feet), Standard Deviation = 614.630 based on 307 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
