Erica cubica var. cubica flowers

The flowers of Erica cubica var. cubica nod in dense umbels at stem-tips on reddish peduncles of 4 mm to 8 mm long. A peduncle has woolly hair clusters, the hairs branched or plumed. The two narrow, papery bracts behind each flower are spoon-shaped. 

The four pink sepals may be either narrowly lance-shaped and keeled or rounded as in the photo. They overlap for nearly half to three quarters upon the petals, sometimes with a prolonged greenish and white-lined keel, resting on the petals. The four round-tipped, also pink petals open widely in the upper part beyond the sepal tips, the corolla somewhat cone-shaped or goblet-shaped, from 3 mm to 6,5 mm long. It is coloured as the sepals or darker pink to reddish. 

The specific name, cubica, is derived from the Greek word kubos meaning a cube, referring to the box-like lower part or tube of the flower inside the calyx.

The filaments are broad and tapering, the anthers concealed inside the mouth. The style is exserted above the top-shaped ovary.

Flowering happens mainly from late winter to midautumn. The photo was taken in January (Manning and Helme, 2024; Pooley, 1998; Moriarty, 1997; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; Baker and Oliver, 1967; iNaturalist).