Erica globiceps subsp. consors

Erica globiceps, sometimes referred to as roundhead heath or globe heath, is a low-growing shrublet that sprawls, reaching 30 cm in height.

The species is distributed from Sir Lowry’s Pass to Worcester and eastwards beyond Heidelberg on fynbos slopes and flats down to the coastal plain, often seen in the Bredasdorp area.

There are two subspecies of this Erica, viz. E. globiceps subsp. globiceps distributed as given above and E. globiceps subsp. consors found only in the Hermanus area.

Due to the lower number of stamens in the flower of E. globiceps (only four, whereas Erica species were initially defined as plants bearing flowers that have eight stamens), the two forms of this plant were earlier classified among the “Minor Genera” of the Ericaceae family in two different genera. These genera were Simocheilus (that included subsp. consors) and Syndesmanthus (that included subsp. globiceps) respectively.

The plant is not considered threatened early in the twenty first century (Bean and Johns, 2005; iSpot; www.redlist.sanbi.org).