Carnegiea gigantea, Giant Saguaro

Southwest Desert Flora

Home to the plants of the Sonoran, Chihuahuan and Mojave Deserts

Cirsium ochrocentrum, Yellowspine Thistle

Ericaceae, Heath or Heather Family

The Ericaceae is a flowering-plants family also known as the Heath or Heather Family is a relatively large family. Members include herbs, subshrubs, shrubs and trees. Ericaceae species often grow in poor or acidic soil conditions. Important commercial economic species include the Cranberry, Blueberry and Huckleberry. Other important horticultural plants include Azalea's, Rhododendron's and the Heaths and Heathers.

Ericaceae contain 145 genera with 3,343 accepted species names. Others place the number of species at 4000.

There are 66 species, more or less, in Arctostaphylos in North America. 4 species of Arctostaphylos are found in Arizona from chaparral to coniferous communities.

The Plant List. A working list of all known plant species. [accessed May 4, 2015]
Wikipedia contributors, 'Ericaceae', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 30 December 2014, 22:18 UTC,
[accessed 4 May 2015]