Heathers

Upright bushy shrub, to 0.6m tall. Flowers pure white, VIII-IX (in wild), 0.5cm long, cup-shaped; corolla covered with long woolly hairs so resembling tiny balls of wild cotton; anthers with awn.

Sources:

Ericas of South Africa (D.Schumann, G. Kirsten & E. G. H. Oliver) 1992: p 101

Upright, bushy shrub usually less than 0.6m tall. Flower colour variable, usually pink or red; corolla tubular, about 1.5cm long, with short hairs on outside; anthers without awns. Inhabits rocky outcrops.

Sources:

Ericas of South Africa (D.Schumann, G. Kirsten & E. G. H. Oliver) 1992: p. 71.

Erect, branching shrub to 0.5m tall, flowering VI-IX in wild. Leaves erect, curving inwards in whorls of 4-6. Conical flowers 6-12mm long, borne in leaf axils on upper parts of shoots in dense spike-like clusters, red to deep purple-pink, with dark anthers without awns not projecting from corolla mouth.
Found on Cape Peninsula only.

Sources:

Ericas of South Africa (D.Schumann, G. Kirsten & E. G. H. Oliver) 1992: p. 47
Erica of the Cape Peninsula (Inge Oliver & Ted Oliver) 2000: no. 10

Bright, golden yellow, waxy, tubular flowers are arranged in closely packed spikes on the middle to upper section of the stem; foliage dark green, tufts of needle-like leaves densely cover the branches; habit open erect, sparsely branched shrub growing up to 1 m tall.

The flowering stem resembles corn on the cob, which gives it its common name, mielie heath. Branching occurs mainly at the base of the stem and is woody and often bare.

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Flowers red; V-X; foliage green; habit tall woody; height 1.5m if not burnt.

The “Fire Erica”, is one of a few Ericas that resprout from a woody rootstock after fire. The result is the production of clusters of lovely inflated, tubular, red flowers at the ends of short branches, which form neat, colourful shrublets in a bleak burnt landscape. Fire thus keeps this plant in good healthy condition and will stimulate flowering at any time of the year. After a number of years they will grow taller, become straggly and produce fewer flowers.

See plantzafrica for more details on species.

A handsome, strong growing, hardy species averaging between 1.5 and 2 m in height, but old specimens have been recorded to grow up to 3 m tall. It produces beautiful pink, tubular flowers arranged in neat whorls organised in distinct groups up the principal stems and near the tips of sturdy branches. Peak flowering is from January to March, but this species produces some flowers intermittently throughout the year. It has been observed that inflorescences produced outside of the main flowering season are not as handsome as those produced during peak flowering as they tend to be arranged in a less orderly manner.

There are eight cultivars of Erica verticillata at Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden. Each collection is recorded in the Kirstenbosch plant records database with a unique accession number. The various forms have also been endorsed with cultivar names and numbers by the international registrar of erica cultivar names, Dr Charles Nelson.

Covered from top to bottom in 3mm urn-shaped flowers, usually in shades of magenta; XI; height 60–75cm. It cannot withstand severe frosts but even when dead, the flower retains colour for the remaining winter months. An extremely popular pot-plant in Europe which is used to decorate window-boxes and graveyards during the festivals of All Souls and All Saints (Halloween). Dyed plants are also now being marketed.