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• Taxonomy
• Physical Description
• Similar Species
• Bibliography
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Taxonomy

Physical 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]

Similar Species

Members of the genus Iaera:

There are approximately 2 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus: I. lanaensis · I. loheri

Members of the genus Erica:

There are approximately 992 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them: E. abietina atrorosea · E. abietina aurantiaca · E. abietina constantiana · E. abietina diabolis · E. abietina petraea · E. alexandri acockii · E. arborea riojana · E. banksia comptonii · E. bauera gouriquae · E. blaerioides hirsuta · E. comorensis anjurensis · E. cymosa grandiflora · E. eremioides eglandula · E. eremioides pubescens · E. esteriana swartbergensis · E. filipendula parva · E. glabella laevis · E. globiceps consors · E. intermedia albiflora · E. lecomtei ravinakely · E. mackaiana andevalensis · E. mannii pallidiflora · E. mannii usambarensis · E. melastoma minor · E. paucifolia ciliata · E. paucifolia squarrosa · E. pilosiflora purpurea · E. platycodon maderincola · E. plukenetii breviflora · E. plukenetii lineata · E. plukenetii penicillata · E. radicans schlechteri · E. rosacea glabrata · E. scoparia azorica · E. scoparia maderincola · E. scoparia platycodon · E. sicula cyrenaica · E. sicula libanotica · E. trimera abyssinica · E. trimera elgonensis · E. trimera keniensis · E. trimera meruensis · E. venustiflora glandulosa · E. viridiflora primulina · E. viridiflora redacta · E. viscaria gallorum · E. viscaria longifolia · E. viscaria macrosepala · E. viscaria pendula · E. viscaria pustulata · E. woodii platyura · E. abrotanoides · E. absinthioides · E. accommodata · E. actaea · E. actea · E. acuminata · E. acutangula · E. acutiflora · E. acutifolia · E. adenophora · E. aequalis · E. albescens · E. albida · E. albiflora · E. alopecias · E. alopecuroides · E. altevirens · E. alticola · E. alveiflora · E. amalophylla · E. ambigua · E. andevalensis f. albiflora · E. andrewsiana · E. anemodes · E. angustata · E. angusticollis · E. annalis · E. anthina · E. anthura · E. aperta · E. aphanes · E. appressa · E. aprica · E. arachnoidea · E. arbutiflora · E. archeriana · E. arctata · E. argentiflora · E. argyraea · E. armandiana · E. armata · E. asiatica · E. asperifolia · E. atricha · E. atromontana · E. atroviridis · E. auricularis · E. auriculata · E. austroverna

Bibliography

• 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.

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Notes

Identifiers:

• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 15470908
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:330876-1
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 3395298

Footnotes:

1. 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.