Erica sparmannii hairy flowers

The nodding flowers of Erica sparmannii grow in terminal clusters on short side-branches. Their peduncles are short, only about 1 mm in length. The leaf-like sepals are 6 mm long, the bracts similar, positioned closely behind them.

The yellow to greenish yellow flower has a notably hairy corolla which is tubular and about 2 cm long, bulging in its centre. The small corolla lobes are triangular, erect or in-curved. The anthers are included in the flower tube, the stamens shorter than the greenish style. The ovary has an inverted cone-shape and a hairy surface, the stigma large and head-like, sometimes just visible in the flower mouth.

Flowering occurs mainly in spring and summer. These flowers were photographed in March in Kirstenbosch (Baker and Oliver, 1967; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iSpot).