| Erica | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Erica carnea in flower | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Subfamily: | Ericoideae |
| Tribe: | Ericeae |
| Genus: | Erica L. |
| Species | |
| Synonyms[1][2] | |
List
| |
Erica is agenus of roughly 857species offlowering plants in thefamilyEricaceae.[3] The English common namesheath andheather are shared by some closely related genera of similar appearance. The genusCalluna was formerly included inErica; it differs in having even smaller scale-leaves (less than 2–3 millimetres long), and the flowercorolla consisting of separate petals.Erica is sometimes referred to as "winter (or spring) heather" to distinguish it fromCalluna "summer (or autumn) heather".
Most European species are dwarf shrubs, growing 20–80 cm tall. The largest are the tree heather (Erica arborea) and the broom heather (Erica scoparia), which can reach 6–10 meters.[4]
The majority of the more than 750 African heather species occur in thefynbos of theCape region ofSouth Africa, where they grow alongsideProtea species and other shrubs. Most South African species have long, disc-shaped flowers. In theAfromontane zones ofEast Africa, heather species that grow to several meters tall, such asErica arborea andErica rossii grow.[5][6][7]
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Most of the species ofErica are smallshrubs from 20–150 centimetres (8–59 inches) high, though some are taller; the tallest areE. arborea (tree heath) andE. scoparia (besom heath), both of which can reach up to 7 metres (23 feet) tall. All areevergreen, with minute, needle-likeleaves 2–15 millimetres (1⁄8–5⁄8 in) long. Flowers are sometimes axillary, and sometimes borne in terminalumbels or spikes, and are usually outward or downward facing. Theseeds are very small, and in some species may survive in the soil for decades.
Dulfer[8][9] published the last revision of the genusErica in the 1960s, treating 605 species. Many new species have subsequently been described (particularly in South Africa) and a further 83 have been included inErica from former "minor genera", such asPhillipia Klotzsch andBlaeria L.[10] A more recent overview ofErica species is provided in anelectronic identification aid,[11] but a modern taxonomic revision of the genus as a whole is still lacking.
A number of increasingly detailedphylogenetic hypotheses forErica have been published based on nuclearribosomal andplastid DNA sequences.[12][13][14][15] The closest relatives ofErica areDaboecia (one or two species) andCalluna (monospecific), representing the oldest surviving lineages of a, by inference, ancestrally Palearctic tribe Ericeae.[13] The small number of EuropeanErica species represent the oldest lineages of the genus, within which a single, order-of-magnitude more species-rich, African clade is nested.[14] Within the African clade, Cape and Madagascan/Mascarene species respectively representmonophyletic groups.[15]
Selected species include:
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TheLatin worderica means "heath" or "broom".[16] It is believed thatPliny adaptederica fromAncient Greek ἐρείκη.[17] The expectedAnglo-Latin pronunciation,/ɪˈraɪkə/, may be given in dictionaries (OED: "Erica"), but/ˈɛrɪkə/ is more commonly heard.[18]
Around 690 of the species areendemic to South Africa, and these are often called the Cape heaths, forming the largest genus in thefynbos.[19] The remaining species are native to other parts of Africa, Madagascar, the Mediterranean, and Europe.
Like most Ericaceae,Erica species are mainlycalcifuges, being limited toacidic or very acidic soils. In fact, the term "ericaceous" is frequently applied to all calcifuges, and to thecompost used in their cultivation.[20] Soils range from dry, sandy soils to extremely wet ones such asbog. They oftendominatedwarf-shrub habitats (heathland andmoorland), or the ground vegetation of open acidicwoodland.
Plants of this genus are eaten mainly by thelarvae of manyLepidoptera species, includingSaturnia pavonia,garden tiger moth,true lover's knot,wormwood pug, thesilver-studded blue,[21] and theColeophora case-bearersC. juncicolella andC. pyrrhulipennella.
Some species ofsunbirds are known to visit and pollinateErica. Two such species are thesouthern double-collared sunbird and theorange-breasted sunbird.
Erica species are grown as landscape or garden plants for their floral effect. They associate well withconifers and are frequently seen in planting schemes as massed ground cover beneath varieties of dwarf conifers. They are capable of producing flower colour throughout the year. They can also be grown in tubs or window boxes to provide interest through autumn and into winter.[22]
The cultivation of larger beds of heath rather than individual plants became more popular in the 1920s, after gardeners began to try and replicate natural heathland environments in their gardens.[23]
Gradually, instead of putting in a plant or two ... bigger things were happening, for in 1920 gardeners were being urged to 'plant colonies of heather in beds either with or without rocks' and a few years later, to 'visit mountain and moor to study nature at first hand' - the idea being to return home with a picture in the mind of the magnificent drifts of colour, and be prepared to duplicate the panorama in their gardens
