Erica cerinthoides acting like klipheide

Erica cerinthoides seen here in the Gamkaberg in the Little Karoo divulges why one of the Afrikaans names of the plant is klipheide (stone heath). Similar stony settings for the plant can for instance be found in the Outeniqua Mountains, the Cederberg, the Drakensberg and elsewhere. The plants also thrive in renosterveld on rocky outcrops.

E. cerinthoides var. barbertona found in KwaZulu-Natal, Eswatini and maybe more widely has shorter flowers. The plants living there survive the common winter grass fires by means of underground rootstocks, but become stunted from frequent repetition of burning over the years (Manning and Helme, 2024; Curtis-Scott, et al, 2020; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Pooley, 1998; iNaturalist).