Erica coccinea subsp. coccinea short side-shoots

The leaves of Erica coccinea subsp. coccinea are displayed in intriguing patterns on the erect upper stem when it is seasonally covered in tiny side-shoots facing outwards. Every short-shoot has three tiny leaves per whorl, the whorls densely stacked. As every subsequent whorl is positioned in the centres of the gaps left by the previous whorl, six vertical arrays of needle-like leaves are formed around the short, horizontal stems. All the leaves curve down in about identical curvature, yielding regular patterns. Only the few shorter leaves at each tip look different, yellower green than the rest lower down.

The densely grown short-shoots also form a pattern, a spiral around the erect stem (Manning and Helme, 2024; iNaturalist; https://pza.sanbi.org).