Erica coccinea flowers, not its look-alike

Erica coccinea resembles E. plukenetii in having far exserted, usually pendulous stamens. Both species have several flower colours, some that are similar. A distinguishing characteristic is the large bracts or, more accurately bracteoles at the back of the flower of E. coccinea that spread over the sepals.

In the photo the corolla, the sepals and the bracteoles form three yellow layers of different length, an amply covered flower tube base. In E. plukenetii there are small bracts, insignificant and further back on the flower stalk, the pedicel.

The needle-like E. coccinea leaves are also tufted (Baker and Oliver), densely three-whorled (Manning and Helme) and short as seen here. The longer, whorled leaves on E. plukenetii stems may look feathery.

Words and pictures don't inform in the same way! A picture of a leaf and all its descriptions can never add up to perfect, comprehensive knowledge. We learn from both for better overall understanding. Different dimensions of communication touch and complement, serving jointly though incompletely, as people stop learning once curiosity is satisfied. The inherently unrelated nature of parts of available data enhance learning, although the fit can never be precise and sometimes confuses.

That's why communication never ceases, the last word on anything only spoken or written when all people are dead one day, while the "truth" may still hang in the air (Manning and Helme, 2024; Baker and Oliver, 1967; iNaturalist; http://pza.sanbi.org).