Erica tenella

Erica tenella, commonly the dainty heath, is an erect shrub growing hairy, pale grey branches to about 45 cm. The specific name, tenella, means slender or flexible and small, probably referring to the growth form of the plant.

The linear leaves grow in whorls of four, ascending to spreading around the stems, the surfaces grooved and keeled at the back. They are short and bright green in the photo.

The species distribution is in the southwest of the Western Cape from around Paarl and the Hottentots Holland Mountains to Elim. A brightly pink flowering form of this plant grows abundantly in Fernkloof.

The habitat is fynbos slopes. The habitat population of var. tenella is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century, while data is insufficient to state the case for var. gracilior (Manning and Helme, 2024; Bean and Johns, 2005; Baker and Oliver, 1967; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).