ericaceous

[er-i-key-shuhs]

adjective

1. belonging to the Ericaceae, the heath family of plants.

ericaceous

/ ˌɛrɪˈkeɪʃəs /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Ericaceae, a family of trees and shrubs with typically bell-shaped flowers: includes heather, rhododendron, azalea, and arbutus

Word History and Origins

Origin of ericaceous¹

1880–85; < New Latin Ericace ( ae ) ( erica, -aceae ) + -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of ericaceous¹

C19: from New Latin Erīcāceae, from Latin erīca heath, from Greek ereikē

Example Sentences

These are not gardens that welcome ericaceous plants — acid-lovers like azaleas and other Rhododendron, or blueberries.

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Throughout the book he employs rustic Anglo-Saxonisms like “scrump” and “hoick,” along with luscious Latinate words such as “ericaceous” and “quercophilic.”

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Mr. Reis’s advice for gardeners is to keep watering their spring-flowering ericaceous shrubs, like rhododendrons, azaleas, mountain laurels and camellias, until the first frost arrives.

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A genus of ericaceous flowering plants of northern climates, of which the original species was found growing on a rock surrounded by water.

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The berry of several species of Vaccinium, and ericaceous genus, differing from the American huckleberries in containing numerous minute seeds instead of ten nutlets.

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