A calcifuge is a

plant Plants are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic eukaryotes of the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all curr ...

that does not tolerate alkaline (basic) soil. The word is derived from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

'to flee from chalk'. These plants are also described as ericaceous, as the prototypical calcifuge is the genus '' Erica'' (heaths). It is not the presence of

carbonate A carbonate is a salt of carbonic acid (H2CO3), characterized by the presence of the carbonate ion, a polyatomic ion with the formula . The word ''carbonate'' may also refer to a carbonate ester, an organic compound containing the carbonat ...

hydroxide Hydroxide is a diatomic anion with chemical formula OH−. It consists of an oxygen and hydrogen atom held together by a single covalent bond, and carries a negative electric charge. It is an important but usually minor constituent of water ...

ions ''per se'' that these plants cannot tolerate, but the fact that under alkaline conditions,

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in ...

becomes less soluble. Consequently, calcifuges grown on alkaline soils often develop the symptoms of iron deficiency, ''i.e.'' interveinal chlorosis of new growth. There are many horticultural plants which are calcifuges, most of which require an 'ericaceous'

compost Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant, food waste, recycling organic materials and manure. The resulting ...

with a low pH, composed principally of ''

Sphagnum ''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, peat moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store wa ...

'' moss

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...

. A plant that thrives in lime-rich soils is known as a calcicole.

Examples

Order Ericales

Ericaceae

*'' Andromeda polifolia'' *''

Calluna ''Calluna vulgaris'', common heather, ling, or simply heather, is the sole species in the genus ''Calluna'' in the flowering plant family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing evergreen shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found wi ...

'' (common heather) *'' Cassiope lycopodioides'' *'' Daboecia'' *''

Enkianthus campanulatus The hardiest of ''Enkianthus'' species is ''E. campanulatus'' (furin-tsutsuji or redvein enkianthus), a medium-sized, narrow, upright, deciduous shrub. Its bright green glossy foliage gives brilliant coppery to red fall colors. In spring it offe ...

'' *'' Erica'' (but not '' E. carnea'' or '' E. erigena'') *'' Gaultheria mucronata'' *'' Kalmia latifolia'' (calico bush) *''

Pieris Pieris may refer to: Organisms * ''Pieris'' (plant), the andromeda or fetterbush, a plant genus in the family Ericaceae * ''Pieris'' (butterfly), the garden whites, a butterfly genus in the family Pieridae * ''Pieris'', a synonym of the genus ...

'' * ''

Rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nativ ...

'' (many species of rhododendron and azalea) *'' Vaccinium corymbosum'' (northern highbush blueberry) *'' Vaccinium myrtillus'' (bilberry)

Sarraceniaceae (
carnivorous A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other ...
)

Pitcher plants Pitcher plants are several different carnivorous plants which have modified leaves known as pitfall traps—a prey-trapping mechanism featuring a deep cavity filled with digestive liquid. The traps of what are considered to be "true" pitcher p ...

of the genera Sarracenia, Darlingtonia, and

Heliamphora The genus ''Heliamphora'' ( or ; Greek: ''helos'' " marsh" and ''amphoreus'' "amphora") contains 23 species of pitcher plants endemic to South America.McPherson, S., A. Wistuba, A. Fleischmann & J. Nerz 2011. '' Sarraceniaceae of South Americ ...

Styracaceae

*''

Styrax wilsonii ''Styrax'' (common names storax or snowbell) is a genus of about 130 species of large shrubs or small trees in the family Styracaceae, mostly native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the majority in eastern ...

Theaceae

*'' Camellia sinensis'' (Tea plant)

Order Caryophyllales

Droseraceae (
carnivorous A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other ...
)

*'' Drosera'' (sundew species; but some species are calcitolerant or calciphilous) *'' Dionaea muscipula'' (Venus flytrap)

Nepenthaceae ''Nepenthes'' () is a genus of carnivorous plants, also known as tropical pitcher plants, or monkey cups, in the monotypic family Nepenthaceae. The genus includes about 170 species, and numerous natural and many cultivated hybrids. They are mos ...
(
carnivorous A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other ...
)

*'' Nepenthes'' (pitcher plants; but some species are calcitolerant or even calciphilous)

Order Lamiales

Lentibulariaceae (
carnivorous A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other ...
)

*''

Utricularia ''Utricularia'', commonly and collectively called the bladderworts, is a genus of carnivorous plants consisting of approximately 233 species (precise counts differ based on classification opinions; a 2001 publication lists 215 species).Salmon, Br ...

'' sect. Calpidisca and some other subgenera (non-epiphytic terrestrial bladderworts; there are some species that prefer neutral pH or are calciphilous)

Other orders

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae ...

* '' Arnica montana''

Columelliaceae

*'' Desfontainia spinosa''

Cornaceae The Cornaceae are a cosmopolitan family of flowering plants in the order Cornales. The family contains approximately 85 species in two genera, '' Alangium'' and '' Cornus''. They are mostly trees and shrubs, which may be deciduous or evergreen, ...

*'' Cornus florida'' (dogwood)

Elaeocarpaceae

*'' Crinodendron hookerianum''

Fagaceae

Quercus An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ' ...

(Some species of oak)

Gentianaceae Gentianaceae is a family of flowering plants of 103 genera and about 1600 species. Etymology The family takes its name from the genus '' Gentiana'', named after the Illyrian king Gentius. Distribution Distribution is cosmopolitan. Characteri ...

*'' Gentiana acaulis'' *'' Gentiana sino-ornata''

Hamamelidaceae

*''

Corylopsis pauciflora ''Corylopsis pauciflora'', the buttercup witch hazel or winter hazel, is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Corylopsis'' of the family Hamamelidaceae, native to Taiwan and Japan. It is a deciduous, spreading shrub growing to tall by wi ...

'' *'' Disanthus cercidifolius'' *'' Fothergilla major'' *'' Hamamelis vernalis'' (spring witch hazel)

Papaveraceae

*'' Meconopsis grandis'' (Himalayan blue poppy)

Poaceae

*''

Avena sativa The oat (''Avena sativa''), sometimes called the common oat, is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name (usually in the plural, unlike other cereals and pseudocereals). While oats are suitable for human co ...

'' (oat)

Proteaceae

*'' Embothrium coccineum'' *'' Grevillea rosmarinifolia''

Schisandraceae

*'' Illicium anisatum''

References

External links

Tyler, G. 1996. Mineral nutrient limitations of calcifuge plants in phosphate sufficient limestone soil. Annals of Botany. 77 (6) 649-656.

Plant physiology {{Botany-stub