Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia, Working Draft of 17 March 2004 -- ERICACEAE ERICACEAE (Heath Family) A family of about 107 genera and 3400 species, primarily shrubs, small trees, and subshrubs, nearly cosmopolitan. The Ericaceae is very important in our area, with a great diversity of genera and species, many of them rather narrowly endemic. Our area is one of the north temperate centers of diversity for the Ericaceae. Along with Quercus and Pinus, various members of this family are dominant in much of our landscape. References: Kron et al. (2002); Wood (1961); Judd & Kron (1993); Kron & Chase (1993); Luteyn et al. (1996)=L; Dorr & Barrie (1993); Cullings & Hileman (1997). Main Key, for use with flowering or fruiting material 1 Plant an herb, subshrub, or sprawling shrub, not clonal by underground rhizomes (except Gaultheria procumbens and Epigaea repens), rarely more than 3 dm tall; plants mycotrophic or hemi-mycotrophic (except Epigaea, Gaultheria, and Arctostaphylos). 2 Plants without chlorophyll (fully mycotrophic); stems fleshy; leaves represented by bract-like scales, white or variously colored, but not green; pollen grains single; [subfamily Monotropoideae; section Monotropeae]. 3 Petals united; fruit nodding, a berry; flower and fruit several per stem . Monotropsis 3 Petals separate; fruit erect, a capsule; flower and fruit 1-several per stem. 4 Flowers few to many, racemose; stem pubescent, at least in the inflorescence; plant yellow, orange, or red when fresh, aging or drying dark brown ...............................................Hypopitys 4 Flower solitary; stem glabrous; plant white (rarely pink) when fresh, aging or drying black . Monotropa 2 Plants with chlorophyll (hemi-mycotrophic or autotrophic); stems woody; leaves present and well-developed, green; pollen grains in tetrads (single in Orthilia). 4 Herb with a rosette of ascending basal leaves; flowers scapose; [subfamily Monotropoideae; section Pyroleae]. 5 Style and filaments straight; filaments straight, the anthers closely surrounding the style; inflorescence distinctly secund (1-sided) ........................................................... Orthilia 5 Style and filaments strongly declined; filaments curved, the anthers not closely surrounding the style; inflorescence slightly or not at all secund (1-sided) . Pyrola 4 Subshrub or sprawling shrub with cauline leaves; flowers axillary (except scapose in Chimaphila). 6 Plant erect, the leaves clustered near the apex of the single stem. 7 Leaves lanceolate or oblanceolate, normally 2-4× as long as wide (sometimes proportionately less narrow in stunted individuals; fruit a capsule, borne 1-several on an erect scape above the leaves [subfamily Monotropoideae; section Pyroleae] .............................................Chimaphila 7 Leaves obovate, 1-2× as long as wide; fruit a red berry, borne on nodding axillary pedicels beneath the leaves; [subfamily Vaccinioideae; section Gaultherieae] ............................. Gaultheria 6 Plant creeping or sprawling, leaves scattered along the stems. 8 Flowers solitary and axillary; fruit a white berry . [Gaultheria] 8 Flowers in axillary or terminal spikes or racemes; fruit a fleshy loculicidal capsule or red drupe. 9 Leaves glabrous, 1-3 cm long, tapered to the base; corolla urceolate; calyx not subtended by large bracts; [subfamily Arbutoideae] ........................................ Arctostaphylos 9 Leaves pilose (glabrate in age), 2-10 cm long, rounded or subcordate at the base; corolla salverform, the lobes spreading; calyx subtended by 2 large bracts . Epigaea 1 Plant a shrub, more than 3 dm tall, or 1-3 dm tall and definitely and obviously clonal by underground rhizomes; plants not mycotrophic or hemi-mycotrophic. 10 Leaves ca. 1 mm wide, 8-12 mm long, appearing opposite, alternate, or whorled (the internodes very short, thus the leaves generally appearing whorled); petals absent; fruit a subglobose, 2-stoned drupe, 2-3 mm in diameter; branches often appearing in whorls of 3-7; [subfamily Ericoideae; section Empetreae]............................Ceratiola 10 Leaves either more than 2 mm wide or less than 5 mm long, mostly alternate or whorled; petals present; fruit not as above, mostly either a capsule or 10- or many-seeded berry; branches appearing alternate or whorled. 11 Ovary inferior; fruit indehiscent, a fleshy berry. 12 Ovary 10 locular; seeds 10; leaves glandular-punctate, at least on the lower surface (except G. brachycera, which is restricted in our area to xeric sites in the Mountains of VA, is an upright clonal shrub to 4 dm tall, and has coriaceous, evergreen leaves less than 2.2 cm long) . Gaylussacia 12 Ovary 4-5 locular; seeds numerous; leaves not glandular-punctate (species with coriaceous, evergreen leaves either creeping, or taller, or of the Coastal Plain of NC or SC) . Vaccinium 11 Ovary superior; fruit dehiscent, a dry capsule. 13 Petals separate; fruit 2-7-locular; plant either a shrub to 1 m tall with ovate to oblong, evergreen leaves, 0.6-1.2 cm long, or a shrub to small tree 2-6 (-9) m tall with elliptic, deciduous leaves, 4-12 cm long, or a shrub 1-2.5 m tall, with elliptic to ovate, evergreen leaves 2-4 cm long. 14 Fruit 2-3 (5)-locular; plant a shrub to 1 m tall; leaves, 0.4-1.2 cm long; petals 2-4 mm long . ....................................................................Kalmia buxifolia 14 Fruit 4-7-locular; plant a shrub to small tree 1-6 (-9) m tall; leaves 2-12 cm long; petals 12-30 mm long. 15 Fruit 7-locular; leaves evergreen 2-4 cm long; petals 20-30 mm long; plant a shrub 1-2.5 m tall . ...................................................................... [Bejaria] 15 Fruit 4-5-locular; leaves deciduous, 4-12 cm long; petals 12-14 mm long; plant a shrub to small tree 2-6 (-9) m tall ............................................................. Elliottia 277 Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia, Working Draft of 17 March 2004 -- ERICACEAE 13 Petals fused for part or all their lengths; fruit (4-) 5-locular; plant a shrub or tree with leaves of various shape, evergreen or deciduous, these either less than 6 mm long, linear and whorled, or longer than 12 mm. 16 Leaves whorled, less than 5 mm long, linear; [subfamily Ericoideae, section Ericeae] ........... Erica 16 Leaves alternate or whorled, more than 20 mm long. 17 Flowers 4-merous; fruits 4-locular; leaves with a series of fascicles of trichomes on the midrib below ..................................................................... Menziesia 17 Flowers 5-merous; fruits 5-locular; leaves not as above. 18 Leaves coriaceous, evergreen, shiny and dark green above. 19 Leaves sharply and distinctly serrate. 20 Pedicels slender, 7-10 mm long; filaments strongly curved just below the anthers; pith transversely diaphragmed ...................................... Agarista 20 Pedicels stout, 2-6 mm long; filaments straight; pith solid . Leucothoe 19 Leaves entire, or obscurely and finely crenulate-serrulate. 21 Capsules elongate, more than 2× as long as broad, 8-18 mm long . Rhododendron 21 Capsules ovoid to globose or subglobose, about as long as broad, 5-8 mm long. 22 Leaves with a prominent vein running parallel to (and about 1 mm in from) the margin .................................................. Lyonia 22 Leaves without a prominent marginal vein. 23 Corolla saucer-shaped, 20-30 mm across; leaves entire . Kalmia 23 Corolla narrowly urceolate, 4-6 mm across; leaves finely crenulate-serrulate ..................................................... Pieris 18 Leaves membranaceous or subcoriaceous, deciduous or evergreen, if subcoriaceous and evergreen, then not shiny and dark green above. 24 Capsules elongate, more than 2× as long as broad, 7-23 mm long . Rhododendron 24 Capsules ovoid to globose or subglobose, about as long as broad, or broader than long, 2-7 mm long. 25 Leaves less than 2.5 cm wide. 26 Leaves linear to narrowly lanceolate, 8× or more as long as wide. strongly revolute, strongly whitened beneath . [Andromeda] 26 Leaves broader, not revolute or slightly so, not strongly whitened below. 27 Leaves whorled or alternate; corolla saucer-shaped, 10-20 mm across . .................................................... Kalmia 27 Leaves alternate; corolla narrowly urceolate, 2-8 mm across. 28 Pedicels with 2 bracteoles near the summit . Chamaedaphne 28Pedicels with 2 bracteoles near the base . Lyonia 25 Leaves (at least the larger) more than 2.5 cm wide. 29 Pedicels with 2 bracteoles. 30 Capsule broader than long; shrub; bracteoles just below the calyx . ...................................................Eubotrys 30 Capsule longer than broad; tree; bracteoles generally near the middle of the pedicel ......................................... Oxydendrum 29 Pedicels without bracteoles. 31 Leaves entire to minutely serrulate; capsule sutures pale and thickened . .................................................... Lyonia 31 Leaves crenate; capsule sutures not thickened and pale . Zenobia Key to Ericaceae (including some relatives), emphasizing vegetative characters This key includes some related shrubs, of the Diapensiaceae, Clethraceae, and Cyrillaceae 1 Leaves and stems lacking chlorophyll (either white or variously tinted with colors such as pink, tan, red, or violet) . Key A 1 Leaves and stems with chlorophyll (green, though some parts may have the green pigment obscured with purple or other colors). 2 Leaves membranaceous or subcoriaceous, deciduous or tardily deciduous, usually not particularly glossy (except in new foliage of some