Erica bruniades with white hairs on unopened flowers

The small flowers of Erica bruniades grow in clusters of up to three on peduncles of up to 8 mm in length; the bracts remote from the calyx. The calyx is comprised of ovate sepals densely covered in white, pink, silvery or purple hairs. It covers most of the corolla, apart from the apical lobes.

The little hairy balls hiding the corollas resemble Brunia flowerheads and may have brought about the specific name of bruniades. The corolla is urn-shaped, dry and finely hairy as well, although not as much as the calyx. The broad, shallowly lobed corolla tips, white or rose in colour, may be observed protruding beyond the more woolly calyces in some of the flowers in picture. Dark anthers are exserted from the flower mouths, but not as far as the style.

Flowering happens from end winter to midsummer (Baker and Oliver, 1967; Manning, 2007).