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The heath family includes about 70 genera with over 1,500 species of plants! These plants are widely distributed through the cooler regions of the world. Several member of this family, particularly the azaleas, rhododendrons, and laurels, are prized ornamentals. This family also includes the blueberries, cranberries, and huckleberries. There are 22 genera of this family in the southeastern U.S., 6 of which include arborescent forms. 3 of these trees and shrubs are common in Florida. |
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Vaccinium arboreum
tree sparkleberry |
Habit
Tree sparkleberry is a small, bushy tree, sometimes reaching a height
of 30 feet and a diameter of 10 inches. It is usually much smaller.
It is characterized by a short, crooked bole, contorted branches, and a
dense, round crown.
Leaves are simple, alternate, and deciduous or persistent for a year.
The leaves are 1-3 inches long, about 1 inch wide, and are oval in shape,
with an acute or rounded apex. The leaf base is wedge-shaped.
Leaf margins are entire or have very small teeth. The leaf surfaces
are dark green and glabrous above, paler below, sometimes with 5 scattered
hairs along the midrib and principal veins. Leaf petioles very short
or nearly sessile.
The twigs are slender, brown to reddish-brown, and sometimes angled.
The pith is white and homogeneous.
The bark is dark brown, sometimes with a purplish tinge. It is
divided into long, thin, elongated, shreddy, interlacing ridges.
Tree sparkleberry in an understory species which grows on moist soils
near streams and lakes, along hillsides, and in high mountain valleys.
Unlike other plants of this family, tree sparkleberry can survive on limestone
soils. It is found from the Virginia coastal plain, west to southern
Illinois and Missouri; south to Florida, through the gulf states to eastern
Texas.
A compound extracted from the root bark has sometimes been used locally
in the treatment of diarrhea. The bark from the bole is suitable
for tanning leather. The wood has been used for tobacco pipes, woodenware,
and novelties.
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Lyonia lucida
fetter-bush |
Habit
Fetter-bush is an evergreen shrub, commonly very attractive when in
flower. It is robustly branched from the base, with a crown as broad
as the height of the plant.
Leaves are simple, alternate, and persistent. The leaves are 2-3
inches long, about 1/4 inch to 3 inches wide, and are broadly elliptical
in shape, with an acute apex. The leaf base is wedge-shaped.
Leaf margins are entire. The leaf surfaces are dark green, leathery,
and glabrous, with scattered dots above. Below, the leaves are paler
with more abundant dots. Leaf petioles very short or nearly sessile.
The twigs are strongly angled, green flecked, and have dark, loose, narrow scales. The pith is homogeneous. Habitat This plant grows in shrub bogs and bays, seasonally-wet pine savannahs,
flatwoods, cypress-gum ponds, wet woodlands, and sometimes in Florida scrub
communities. It is found from southeastern Virginia south to central
Florida; west to Louisiana. It is also found in Cuba.
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Lyonia ferruginea
stagger-bush, tree lyonia |
Habit
Stagger-bush is a large evergreen shrub, with a very contorted bole.
It can reach a height of 30 feet and a diamter of 10 inches. The
limbs are stout and ascending, forming an irregular, open, oblong crown.
Leaves are simple, alternate, and persistant. The leaves are 1-3
inches long, about 1 inch wide, and are broadly elliptical in shape, with
an acute apex. The leaf base is wedge-shaped. Leaf margins
are entire. The leaf surfaces are pale green, leathery, glabrous,
and somewhat scaly above. Below, the leaves are covered with pale
rusty scales. Leaf petioles are 3/8 inch long and swollen at the
base.
Twigs The twigs are slender, 3-angled, reddish-brown, often pubescent, and
sometimes scaly. The pith is homogeneous.
The bark is reddish-brown and is divided into narrow, scaly ridges by
shallow, longitudinal fissures.
This plant grows in hardwood hammocks and on sandy soils. It is
found in the coastal regions of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
It is also found in the West Indes and Mexico.
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