Erica halicacaba

Erica halicacaba, commonly bladder heath or gooseberry heath, is a rigid, erect and bushy shrub that reaches 2 m in height. The woody branches are brittle, leaf scars sometimes prominent upon the grey bare stems as leaves persist only on the upper, younger ones.

The common names are given on account of the gooseberry or bladder-like flowers that grow solitary or in threes at stem-tips. There is a five-pointed, whitish cream calyx around the base of the greenish-yellow corolla. The petals soon turns brown, usually earlier than the sepals. The specific name, halicacaba, is derived from the Greek name of the gooseberry, viz. halicacabos.

The species distribution is limited to some mountains of the Cape Peninsula, including the southern part of Table Mountain.

The habitat is sandstone mountain tops, cliffs and ledges at upper slopes where the plants huddle in rocky niches and crevices, watered by winter rain. The rocks contribute to these plants often escaping fire. The fierce southeasterly wind limits their spread in the exposed positions where they grow, the plants sometimes stunted or forced into unusual shapes.

The species is considered rare in its habitat early in the twenty first century due to its small distribution, but its population is stable (Baker and Oliver, 1967; iNaturalist; http://pza.sanbi.org; http://redlist.sanbi.org).