Erica viscaria subsp. macrosepala

Erica viscaria subsp. macrosepala is an erect shrub reaching heights between 70 cm and 90 cm. The thread-like leaves are thin and long.

The tubular, greenish yellow flowers are slightly sticky and constricted at the mouth. The petal lobes curve outwards. The specific name, viscaria, is derived from Viscum, the generic name of mistletoe, the source of birdlime, referring to the corolla tube stickiness. Macrosepala means large sepals, from the Greek word makros meaning tall or long and sepalum (Latin) meaning sepal. Flowering happens from midsummer to early autumn.

The subspecies is distributed from Hangklip to east of Hermanus where the plants grow in fynbos on the upper sandstone slopes and summits of the Kogelberg and the Kleinrivier Mountains. This plant is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Andrew, 2017; iSpot; www.fernkloof.org.za; www.redlist.sanbi.org).