Erica quadrisulcata

Erica quadrisulcata, the orange rock-heath is a rare shrublet growing to heights around 50 cm.

The plant is grouped by Baker and Oliver among a few Erica species called Pleurocallis, all characterised by flowers that grow from leaf axils, tubes mostly over 12 mm long and corolla lobes not spreading in star-like fashion.

The species distribution of the orange rock-heath is restricted to a small part of the Cape Peninsula south of Simonstown in the Table Mountain National Park.

The habitat is fynbos on high sandstone slopes on protected land but not free from accidental veld fires. While rare in nature, the habitat population is stable early in the twenty first century (Manning and Helme, 2024; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; Baker and Oliver, 1967; iNaturalist; www.plantzafrica.com; http://redlist.sanbi.org).