Order Ericales

Order Ericales

There are eight Families in Order Ericales, and the one with most species is the Heath Family (Ericaceae). The majority are woody shrubs or small trees, though there are some non-woody herbs. Plants in this group are distributed throughout the world, often growing in moist, acid soils that are poor in nutrients. Many are able to thrive in poor soils because their roots are in close contact with fungal threads which break down substances in the soil and make them available to the plant to use as food. [CH] {EN}