ERICACEAE - Heath Family
Evergreen and sometimes deciduous shrubs,
herbs
Leaves alternate, simple,
sometimes leathery
Flowers urceolate (urn-shaped) or
campanulate, bisexual,
actinomorphic, solitary or in racemes
Fruit a capsule, berry, or
drupe
Seed with circular embryo
125 genera, 3500 species
Plants prefer acid soils, often form dense thickets
Ericaceae are often associated with Pyrolaceae,
a small family of perennial herbs and the Monotropaceae,
a family which contains a number of parasitic, non-photosynthetic
plants
Economic uses:
Rhododendron - ornamentals,
evergreen and deciduous (azaleas)
Vaccinum - blueberry,
huckleberry, cranberry
Medicinal uses -Tea and poultices used for arthritis, headaches,
bowel ailments. The members of this family used for medicinal
purposes are very poisonous, the honey produced by bees pollinating
Kalmia latifolia (Mountain Laurel) is reportedly toxic.
Diagnostic characteristics - shrubs with showy urceolate or
campanulate flowers.
IMAGE GALLERY
FLOWERING
PLANT GATEWAY