Erica glandulosa subsp. fourcadei flowers

Erica glandulosa subsp. fourcadei flowers grow on long pedicels in stem-tip clusters.

Three flowers in picture have already developed but the cluster holds at least four more that may perform later. This is more than what the species generally produces.

Hair colour on the sepals is different, brownish instead of white. The narrowly oblong sepals are long and thin, also differently coloured to the leaves. The bracts close to the flowers on the longish pedicels are much smaller than the sepals.

The corollas are here not yet in their prime, although ridged and bent. The colour is still good, in the range of dull red to bright red or pale yellow that is expected from this plant.

Flowering occurs from late autumn until spring. The photo was taken at Nature’s Valley during May (Baker and Oliver, 1967; iNaturalist; http://pza.sanbi.org).