Cheilotheca
Sign in to saveCheilotheca is a small genus of myco-heterotrophic plants in the family Ericaceae. They obtain their nutrients by parasitising fungi in the Russulaceae family. As of 2025, the genus includes four species.
Taxonomy · GBIF
Convulsion Root
GENUS
- KingdomPlantae
- PhylumTracheophyta
- ClassMagnoliopsida
- OrderEricales
- FamilyEricaceae
Observations2,087
Groupplantae
via GBIF · iNaturalist · CC0
Article
5 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Taxonomy
- List of species
- References
- External links
Cheilotheca is a small genus of myco-heterotrophic plants in the family Ericaceae. They obtain their nutrients by parasitising fungi in the Russulaceae family. As of 2025, the genus includes four species.
==Etymology== The genus was named by Joseph Dalton Hooker in 1876. The name is derived from the Greek word "cheilos", meaning a lip or an edge. The "theca" is a Latin term, meaning covering or sheath. Together they essentially mean "lipped sheath".