Erica taxifolia

Erica taxifolia, commonly known as yew-leaved heath, is an erect shrub growing numerous straight branches to 60 cm in height. The branches are hairy, becoming channelled with prominent leaf scars over time.

According to the classification of Baker and Oliver this plant forms part of the Erica subgenus called Chlamydanthe comprising plants with large, conspicuous calyces as cloaks and urn-shaped or nearly cup-shaped corollas. E. taxifolia falls within the Lamprotis section of this subgenus, the plants bearing stem-tip flowers with parts occurring in threes, coloured sepals at least half as long as the petals that spread when fresh, turning brown with age, the anthers included. According to Manning and Helme's classification this plant's category is Chaffy Vase Heaths bearing smaller flowers with hairy corollas up to 10 mm long and tapering smoothly to small mouths. The glossy sepals are about petal-like.

E. taxifolia is endemic to the Western Cape, from Stellenbosch to Tulbagh and the Groot Winterhoek Mountains in the north and The Riviersonderend Mountains in the east.

The habitat is sandy or rocky fynbos slopes. The habitat population is deemed of least concern 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).