Endemic ericas

Ericas are fascinating and exasperating plants! Just when I think I know a thing or two about them, I realize that actually, I know very little about them at all.
Today we went for a walk on the mountains above Kalk Bay and for the first time I saw lots of Erica pyxidiflora plants flowering in amongst the restios near the masts on Steenberg.
There were also lots of Erica urna-viridis flowering profusely,
and some Erica abietina - God know what subspecies it is!
Below is a list of the Cape Peninsula's endemic ericas that I found in a very useful document on the Internet, compiled by Tony Rebelo and Pat Holmes with Clifford Dorse, Ismail Ebrahim, Dalton Gibbs, Nigel Forshaw and Jenny Josefsson.
Erica abietina subsp. abietina Red Heath
Erica abietina subsp. atrorosea Wine‐red Heath
Erica abietina subsp. constantiana Constantia Heath
Erica abietina subsp. diabolis Devils Heath
Erica amoena Delightful Heath
Erica annectens Cliff‐hanger Heath
Erica baccans Berry Heath
Erica capensis Cape Heath
Erica caterviflora var. caterviflora Bunch Heath
Erica caterviflora var. glabrata Troop Heath
Erica clavisepala Club Heath
Erica cyrilliflora Red Hill Heath
Erica depressa Dwarf Heath
Erica diosmifolia Buchu‐leaf Heath 2
Erica eburnea Ivory Heath
Erica empetrina Crowberry Heath
Erica fairii Fairy Heath
Erica fontana Fountain Heath
Erica haematocodon Bloodbell Heath
Erica halicacaba Gooseberry Heath
Erica heleogena Marsh Heath
Erica hirtiflora var. hirtiflora Hairy‐flower Heath
Erica limosa Mud Heath
Erica mammosa subsp gilva Peninsula Ninepin Heath
Erica margaritacea Pearl Heath
Erica marifolia Flat‐leaf Heath
Erica mollis Soft Heath
Erica nevillei Rock Heath
Erica oxycoccifolia Cranberry Heath
Erica paludicola Wiry Heath
Erica physodes Bladder Heath
Erica pilulifera Fine‐hair Heath
Erica planifolia Gland Heath
Erica pyramidalis Pyramid Heath (extinct)
Erica pyxidiflora Box Heath
Erica quadrisulcata Four‐grooved Heath
Erica sociorum Partner Heath
Erica subcapitata Pinhead Heath
Erica thimifolia Carpet Heath
Erica turgida Showy Heath (extinct)
Erica urna‐viridis Bottle‐green Heath or Sticky Heath
Erica verticillata Whorled Heath (extinct)
Rainbow over the Kalk Bay mountains.

Comments

ksdoolittle said…
What interesting plants! I look forward to having a few extra minutes to peruse your archived posts. ~karen