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
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