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Ericales
Rhododendron simsii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Ericales Dumort., 1829
Families
See text.

The Ericales (azalea) are a large and diverse order of dicotyledons. The order is represented with many various life forms, starting from trees and bushes, to lianas and herbaceous plants. Together with ordinary autophytic plants, the Ericales include chlorophyll-deficient myco-heterotrophic plants (e. g. Sarcodes sanguinea) and carnivorous plants (e. g. genus Sarracenia).

Many species have five petals, often grown together.

Mycorrhiza is an interesting property, frequently associated with the Ericales. Indeed, the symbiosis with root fungi is quite common among the order representatives, and there are even three kinds of it which can be found exclusively among Ericales (namely, ericoid, arbutoid and monotropoid mycorrhiza). In additional, some families among the order are notable for their exceptional ability to accumulate aluminium (Jansen et al., 2004).

Ericales are a cosmopolitic order. Areas of distribution of families vary largely - while some are restricted to tropics, others exist mainly in arctic or temperate regions. The entire order contains over 8000 species, of which the Ericaceae account for 2000-4000 species (by various estimates).

Without doubt, the most profitable plant in the order is tea (Camellia sinensis) from the Theaceae family. The order also includes some edible fruits, including kiwi fruit (Actinidia deliciosa), persimmon (genus Diospyros), blueberry and cranberry, Brazil nut, and Mamey sapote. Many Ericales species are cultivated for their showy flowers: well-known examples are azalea, rhododendron, camellia, polyanthus, cyclamen, phlox, and busy Lizzie.

The following families are typical of newer classifications:

• Family Actinidiaceae (kiwifruit family)
• Family Balsaminaceae (balsam family)
• Family Clethraceae (clethra family)
• Family Cyrillaceae (cyrilla family)
• Family Diapensiaceae
• Family Ebenaceae (ebony family)
• Family Ericaceae (heath, rhododendron, and blueberry family)
• Family Fouquieriaceae (fouquieria family)
• Family Lecythidaceae (Brazil nut family)
• Family Maesaceae
• Family Marcgraviaceae
• Family Mitrastemonaceae
• Family Myrsinaceae (cyclamen and scarlet pimpernel family)
• Family Pellicieraceae
• Family Pentaphyllacaceae
• Family Polemoniaceae (phlox family)
• Family Primulaceae (primrose family)
• Family Roridulaceae
• Family Sapotaceae (sapodilla family)
• Family Sarraceniaceae (American pitcher plant family)
• Family Sladeniaceae
• Family Styracaceae
• Family Symplocaceae
• Family Ternstroemiaceae
• Family Tetrameristaceae
• Family Theaceae (tea and camellia family)
• Family Theophrastaceae

These make up a basal group of asterids. Under the Cronquist system, the Ericales included a smaller group of plants, which were placed among the Dileniidae:

• Family Ericaceae
• Family Cyrillaceae
• Family Clethraceae
• Family Grubbiaceae
• Family Empetraceae
• Family Epacridaceae
• Family Pyrolaceae
• Family Monotropaceae

• B. C. J. du Mortier (1829). Analyse des Familles de Plantes : avec l'indication des principaux genres qui s'y rattachent, 28. Imprimerie de J. Casterman, Tournay.
• S. Jansen, T. Watanabe, P. Caris, K. Geuten, F. Lens, N. Pyck, E. Smets (2004). The Distribution and Phylogeny of Aluminium Accumulating Plants in the Ericales. Plant Biology (Stuttgart) 6, 498-505. Thieme, Stuttgart. (Available online: DOI | Abstract)
• W. S. Judd, C. S. Campbell, E. A. Kellogg, P. F. Stevens, M. J. Donoghue (2002). Plant Systematics: A Phylogenetic Approach, 2nd edition. pp. 425-436 (Ericales). Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Massachusetts. ISBN 0-87893-403-0.
• E. Smets, N. Pyck (Feb 2003). Ericales (Rhododendron). In: Nature Encyclopedia of Life Sciences. Nature Publishing Group, London. (Available online: ELS Site)
• Arne A. Anderberg, Bertil Stahl, Mari Kallersjo (May 2000). Maesaceae, a New Primuloid Family in the Order Ericales s.l.. Taxon 49 (2): 183-187.