Erica

Erica is a genus of shrublets, shrubs and a few small trees, the family called Ericaceae. The perennial plants range from a few centimetres to around 7 m in height.

The leaves mostly grow in whorls of four or five (occasionally six), rarely opposite or spiralling. The leaf-shape is mostly oblong, ovate or three-angled with margins rolled under, sometimes open-backed. The leaves are sometimes leathery, sometimes needle-like, while few species have broad, flat and small blades, or the leaves are reduced and scale-like.

The flowers grow from leaf axils in whorls, racemes or umbel-like clusters at stem-tips or on small side-branchlets. Most flowers have pedicels, sometimes very short ones while few are stalkless. Bracts are always present, bracteoles in some species. The calyx usually has four lobes or parts, variable in size and colour, growing from below the ovary. It sometimes exceeds the corolla in size and may enlarge during fruiting.

The usually persistent corolla is mostly four-lobed and variously shaped. These include tubular, urn-shaped, globular, ovoid, flask-shaped, bell-shaped, cup-shaped or funnel-shaped ones, and although small also varying much in size. Some species have sticky corollas and some are hairy. Corolla colours are bright and varied where the pollinators are insects or birds, dull in wind-pollinated species.

The three to ten, mostly eight stamens are free or fused, included or exserted. The bilobed anthers are attached to their filaments at the back or the base, sometimes enhanced by appendages like crests and tails. The ripe anthers open via two pores to let the pollen out.

The ovary is almost always superior, usually positioned on a prominent disc. The number of locules or chambers per ovary is one to eight but mostly four and one to 180 ovules are present per locule. Sessile or stalked nectaries are usually prominent around the ovary base. The thread-like style is included or exserted, rarely absent, the stigma variously shaped, larger in wind-pollinated species.

The fruit is a capsule usually dehiscing per locule or remaining indehiscent, otherwise a drupe or an achene. The seeds are variable and smooth or spiky.

This generic description is oversimplified, small groupings and individual species deviating in various ways.

There are about 857 Erica species in Africa, Europe and Madagascar, 770 of which are found in southern Africa and 680 in the Cape Floristic Region. These numbers still change slightly over time as discoveries are made in nature and taxonomies are corrected to accommodate new knowledge. Many Erica species form part of horticulture.

The plant in picture has not been identified. The small white corollas have small white sepals on top and short white pedicels from which they nod. The flowers grow in small clusters on numerous side-branchlets. The conspicuous brown anthers are exserted, the styles even further. The photo was taken on the Outeniqua Mountains (Leistner, (Ed.), 2000; Baker and Oliver, 1967; Wikipedia).