English: Heather family; Heather order.
Botany: 126 genera; ± 4000 species; worldwide; sandy, acid, infertile soil, high in MgO, FeO, MnO, low in silica, nutrients; herbs, shrubs; leaves alternate or whorled, simple, without stipules; petals often fused, narrowly tubular to funnelform or bowl-shaped; flowers symmetrical; mycorrhizal fungi assist in extracting nutrients from infertile soils.
DD:
Boron, Oxygen, Muriaticum,
Natrium,
Kalium,
Carbon series;
Silicon series;
Iron series;
Lanthanides;
Fabaceae;
Malpighiales;
Salicaceae.
TaxonomyThere are 2 varieties in the botanical literature of
Ericales, one in a restricted sense and the other in a broad sense. The restricted sense from includes families as
Ericaceae,
Cyrillaceae,
Clethraceae, Grubbiaceae, Empetraceae, Epacridaceae, Pyrolaceae and
Monotropaceae. This is more or less the same in the classifications of Bentham, Bessey, Goldberg, Hutchinson, Melchior, Reveal, Takhtajan and Thorne.
Ericales in the broad sense can be found in the
Apg3 classification and those of Kubitzki and Shipunov.
Ericales is then a broad Order, a combination of formerly separate Orders like Theales,
Ericales,
Primulales, Ebenales and other families. The
Ericaceae,
Clethraceae and
Cyrillaceae together form a monophyletic clade in the
Ericales Order. The older Families Empetraceae, Epacridaceae and
Monotropaceae are as Subfamilies included in
Ericaceae.
Plant theoryIn the
Plant theory Ericales are treated in the resticted sense, as an Order in a more extensive clade
Ericidae, which in the
Apg3 classification is called
Ericales. The clade of
Ericaceae,
Clethraceae and
Cyrillaceae is taken together as an Order and placed in
Phase 6 of
Ericidae. The Order is best named
Ericales when one is considering the ambiguity of that name. The Subfamilies of the
Ericaceae are raised to the level of
Family and in placed in the Subphase as below. The division in
Subphases is tentative, as many members are unknown in homeopathy.
Subphases1.
Clethraceae.
2.
Cyrillaceae.
3.
Ericoideae,
Ericaceae in the strict sense; probably including Cassiope.
4.
Arbutoideae, Artbutaceae.
5.
Styphelioideae, Epacridaceae.
6.
Vaccinioideae, Vacciniaceae; probably including Harrimanella.
7. Monotropoideae,
Monotropaceae; probably including Pyroloideae and Enkianthoideae.
FamiliesClethraceae.
Cyrillaceae.
Enkianthoideae: 1 genus, 16 species.
Pyroloideae: 4 genera, 40 species.
Monotropoideae: 10 genera, 15 species.
Arbutoideae: 5 genera; 80 species.
Cassiopoideae: 1 genus, Cassiope; 12 species.
Ericoideae: 19 genera, 1790 species.
Harrimanelloideae: 1 genus, Harrimanella; 2 species.
Styphelioideae: 35 genera, 545 species.
Vaccinioideae: 50 genera, 1580 species.