Erica recurvata back after 200 years

Erica recurvata is the critically rare species that made a spectacular comeback after about 200 years when found flowering near Napier in 2007. It is a small, branched shrub of between 30 cm to 60 cm in height. The plant resprouts after fire from a woody rootstock.

The species forms part of the small Oxyloma section of the Chlamydanthe subgenus of Erica in the classification of Baker and Oliver, characterised by large sepals over urn-shaped to cup-like corollas. The three Oxyloma species have the styles of their flowers exserted, their anthers included in the corollas. Manning and Helme group it among the Beaked Heaths that have hard, pointed corolla lobes that form sharp beaks with large, petal-like sepals behind.

The leaves are narrowly linear, needle-like and pale green to grey-green in colour. The specific name, recurvata, was derived from the recurving habit of the leaves. The leaves ascend densely up the stems in whorls or spiralling.

Pendulous stem-tip flower clusters are borne, the sepals white, the corollas dark brown to nearly black and the long, crimson-red styles exserted about 5 mm. The slightly sticky flowers appear in from before midwinter to early spring.

The species distribution is tiny, confined to the area where it was rediscovered in the rocky, mountainous terrain of the Overberg.

The habitat is Overberg sandstone fynbos, the plants growing in crevices of rocky outcrops on mountain ridge tops and plateaus. The habitat population is deemed critically endangered early in the twenty first century, due to alien plant invasion and past fire management practices.

A painting of E. recurvata, about 200 years old, first brought the species renown. Whether it will become better known among gardeners (and hopefully in the veld), after early successes of plant propagation, remains to be seen. Best conservation practices and citizen commitment should ensure that there are not too many more beautiful plants disappearing for long or forever from the fynbos (Manning and Helme, 2024; Die Burger, 22 June 2012; Baker and Oliver, 1967; iNaturalist; www.plantzafrica.com; http://redlist.sanbi.org).