Erbaceae

Erbaceae is not recognized as a distinct plant family in modern taxonomy. The term is likely a misspelling or historical variant of Ericaceae, the heath family. Ericaceae are a large family within the order Ericales, comprising roughly 124 genera and several thousand species. Members are predominantly woody plants—shrubs and small trees—with evergreen leaves adapted to acidic, nutrient-poor soils, though some genera include deciduous forms.

Flowers are often showy in shades of pink, white, or red and commonly have a bell- or urn-shaped corolla. Fruiting structures vary, producing berries, capsules, or drupes. The group is ecologically notable for ericoid mycorrhizae, a specialized symbiosis that aids nutrient uptake in challenging soils.

Geographic distribution is cosmopolitan, but the family is especially prominent in temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with diverse tropical representatives in some subfamilies. Many species are important horticulturally and economically. Ericaceae genera include Vaccinium (blueberries, cranberries), Rhododendron and Azalea, Erica and Calluna (heathers), and Gaultheria (wintergreen). Some taxa are valued ornamentally, while others are sources of fruit, timber, or traditional medicines. Several species have become invasive outside their native ranges.

Taxonomic note: If encountering "Erbaceae" in older literature or on unofficial sources, it typically refers to Ericaceae. In current classifications (APG system and successors), Ericaceae is treated as a single family within Ericales, with multiple subfamilies such as Ericoideae and Vaccinioideae.