Spermatophyta: Dicotyledonae: Metachlamydeae: Ericales

Ericaceae - Heather family

Ross, R. (1983) Ericaceae Flora Zambesiaca 7(1)

Description of the family

Small trees, shrubs or subshrubs. Stipules 0. Leaves simple and (in ours) in whorls of 4, usually evergreen; leaf margins strongly reflexed ± meeting along the midrib on the abaxial side of the leaf where there is a groove. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic or slightly zygomorphic, occurring (in ours) in capitate clusters at the tips of the branches. Calyx and corolla (in ours) (3-)4(5)-partite; calyx with 1 sepal longer than the others, this sepal usually free, the others connate to a varying degrees. Corolla campanulate to urceolate with obtuse lobes. Stamens (5-)6-8(-10). Ovary superior or inferior, 3 or (in ours) 4-locular. Style 1, expanded into a disk. Fruit a capsule.

Worldwide: 107 genera and 3,400 species, cosmopolitan, but scarce in Australasia.

Malawi: 4 genera and 13 taxa.

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Links to genera:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this family

GenusContent
Agauria (DC.) Hook. f.Description
Erica L.Description
Ericinella KlotzschDescription
Vaccinium L.Description

Other sources of information about Ericaceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Burundi: Ericaceae
Flora of the DRC: Ericaceae
Flora of Malawi: cultivated Ericaceae
Flora of Mozambique: Ericaceae
Flora of Mozambique: cultivated Ericaceae
Flora of Rwanda: Ericaceae
Flora of Zambia: Ericaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: Ericaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Ericaceae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Ericaceae
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Ericaceae
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Ericaceae
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Ericaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Ericaceae
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Ericaceae
JSTOR Plant Science: Ericaceae
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Ericaceae
Wikipedia: Ericaceae
Plants of the World Online: Ericaceae
Tropicos: Ericaceae



Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2014-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Malawi: Family page: Ericaceae.
https://www.malawiflora.com/speciesdata/family.php?family_id=82, retrieved 3 December 2024

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