Arbutoideae | |
---|---|
Arbutus menziesii | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
(unranked): | Angiosperms |
(unranked): | Eudicots |
(unranked): | Asterids |
Order: | Ericales |
Family: | Ericaceae |
Subfamily: |
Arbutoideae Nied. |
Genera | |
The Arbutoideae are a subfamily in the flowering plant family Ericaceae. Phylogenetic analysis supported all genera of the subfamily as monophyletic, except Arbutus. Moreover, it was suggested that the non-sister relationship between Mediterranean and North American species may be explained by a once widespread distribution in the Northern hemisphere before the Neogene.
The genera Arbutus, Arctostaphylos, Comarostaphylis form a particular type of mycorrhizal symbiosis with fungi resembling ectomycorrhizas; it is termed arbutoid mycorrhiza.