Erica unicolor subsp. georgensis

Erica unicolor subsp. georgensis, the onecolour George heath, is a branched shrub growing from a single stem to about 1,3 m in height.

According to the classification of Baker and Oliver the subspecies forms part of the Evanthe section of the Erica genus that bear mostly stem-tip flowers that are tubular and over 9 mm long. Manning and Helme classify the plant among Smooth or Sticky trumpet Heaths that flower on side-shoot tips in aggregated false-spikes or -racemes, mostly hairless and sometimes sticky.

The plant produces clusters of narrowly tubular flowers. It is not clear why the name unicolor was bestowed upon the species, as the flowers are two-toned: the red or pink corolla tubes are all tipped by short sections in lemon yellow or creamy green. The flower tubes are straight or very slightly curved and shiny, hairless and sticky; unfortunately a flower photo is not yet available for posting here.

The subspecies distribution in the Western Cape is small, in the Outeniqua Mountains near George.

The habitat is south facing lower slope and flats of sandstone derived fynbos. The habitat population is deemed endangered early in the twenty first century, due to being range-restricted and habitat destruction from forestry and farming. The remaining population up in the mountain is considered stable. On lower slopes and flats near the town where the plant is believed to have grown in the past, it has become extinct (Manning and Helme, 2024; JSTOR; iNaturalist; iSpot; http://redlist.sanbi.org).