Heathers at SF Botanical Garden

The Heather Family, also called the Heath Family, is known in the botanical world as Ericaceae.  There are about 4000 species in this family widely spread across Earth, including well-known genera such as blueberries, cranberries, mountain laurels, huckleberries, strawberry trees (not real strawberries!), doghobbles, and rhododendrons.  The rhododendron genus itself includes what are called azaleas by gardeners, as well as hundreds of tropical plants called vireyas.  In Japan, the forked twiggy branches of azaleas are charred, coated in lime from powdered sea shells, and used in tea ceremonies (枝炭).

 Arbutus 'Marina' - Marina Strawberry Tree

 Arctostaphylos densiflora - Vine Hill Manzanita

 Arctostaphylos edmundsii

 Arctostaphylos pilosula - Santa Margarita Manzanita

 Arctostaphylos rudis
 

 Arctostaphylos stanfordiana - Stanford's Manzanita

 Erica abietina ssp. constantiana - Honeysuckle Heath

 Erica arborea - Briar Root

Erica arborea - Briar Root

 Erica baccans - Berry Heath

 Erica baccans - Berry Heath
 

 Erica blanda
 

 Erica blanda
 

 Erica blanda
 

 Erica blandfordia

 Erica blandfordia

 Erica canaliculata - Christmas Heather
 

 Erica coccinea
 

 Erica coccinea

 Erica coccinea - Small Tassel Heath

 Erica conica - Knobby Heath
  

 Erica darleyensis 'Mediterranean White'
 

 Erica lateralis

 Erica mammosa - pink

 Erica mammosa - white

Erica oatesii

 Erica quadrangularis - pink

Erica quadrangularis - white

 Erica species

 Erica versicolor

 Erica x darleyensis 'Kramer's Rote'
 

 Leucothoe keiskei 'Royal Ruby' - Royal Ruby Doghobble
 

Rhododendron 'Blue Peter'

Rhododendron 'Coral Bells' - Coral Bells Azalea

Rhododendron 'Daphnoides'

Rhododendron 'Ethel Stocker'

 Rhododendron 'Forsterianum'

Rhododendron 'Forsterianum'

 Rhododendron 'Fragrantissimum Improved'

 Rhododendron 'Mi Amor'

 Rhododendron 'Robert Barry'

Rhododendron 'Sabrina Adler'

 Rhododendron 'St. Valentine'

 Rhododendron 'White Pearl'

 Rhododendron - Asian Violet

 Rhododendron - Western Azalea 'Mossman'

Rhododendron arboreum - Tree Rhododendron

Rhododendron cubittii

 Rhododendron laetum x javanicum

Rhododendron moupinense 'Cox'

Rhododendron pleianthum

 Rhododendron pulchrum var calicynum 'Shirotae'

Rhododendron quadrasianum

Rhododendron spinuliferum - an amazing Chinese rhododendron

Rhododendron taronense
 

Rhododendron zoelleri x leucogigas 'Hany Wu'

 Rhododendron x ('Souvenir de J. H. Mangles' x laetum) - Hybrid Vireya

Rhododendron species

 Rhododendron species

Vaccinium species

 Vaccinium varingiaefolium