Cape Heaths Species and Cultivars

‘Adonis’ (=Erica verticillata)

Bushy, medium-sized shrub, to average height of 1.4–1.6m, old specimens to 2.0m; 0.7–1.0m broad. Flowers dark pink, tubular, 20mm long, 4mm diameter; arranged in terminal, 4- or 5-flowered (rarely 3- or 6-flowered) umbels, on very short lateral branches arranged in whorls. Synflorescences spike-like, not neat, each with up to 6 whorls of flowering branches on strong, erect, main branches; terminal apex of the stem continuing growth. Non-flowering lateral branches on the main flowering stems to 3cm long, arranged in whorls of 6. Foliage green, leaves to 5mm long, appearing crowded. Viable seed produced. Smaller and bushier than ‘African Phoenix’ with less orderly synflorescences; overall thicker, heavier and bushier in appearance.

Origins: accession number 273/12; propagated from what was apparently one large, old specimen growing in a forest clearing behind the braille trail at Kirstenbosch believed to be a remnant from an early collection, possibly the one made for Kirstenboch by Mrs Bolus in 1917. Progeny had pale and dark pink flowers: the paler clone is ‘Louisa Bolus’.

It was rediscovered by Senior Foreman Adonis Adonis in 1990.

Being of South African origin the plant is not regarded as hardy in the UK and is preferably grown in a pot, using ericaceous compost, and brought into a frost free, light and airy environment during the winter months.

® E.2012:06  registered by Anthony Hitchcock, Nursery, Plant Collections & Threatened Species Program Manager Kirstenbosch National Botanic Garden.

 

‘African Fanfare’

Flowers produced in dense cylindrical clusters; 5-8 flowers per shoot; corolla c. 2cm long, tubular, translucent, white at base shading to rich beetroot-purple (H13) at lobes, paler on shaded side; ovary densely hirsute; VII-XI (in cultivation in northern hemisphere). Hybrid of uncertain and unknown origin, grown in Europe and Australasia under various incorrect names including E. doliiformis, E. linnaeoides and E. persoluta. Registered on 1 November 2002 by D. J. Small.

‘African Phoenix’ (=Erica verticillata)

Tall, erect shrub, average height 1.8m, old specimens to 2.5m; 1.2–1.4m broad. Flowers medium pink, tubular, 18mm long, to 4mm diameter, in terminal, 3-, 4- or 5-flowered umbels, on very short lateral branches arranged in whorls. Synflorescences neat, spike-like, each with up to 6 whorls of flowering branches, on strong, erect, main branches; terminal apex of the stem continuing growth. Non-flowering lateral branches on the main flowering stems in whorls of 5. Foliage green; leaves to 5mm long. Seed produced.

Origins: clone from Protea Park, Pretoria; cutting taken and introduced to Kirstenbosch in 1984 (accession number 536/84); used for planting in Rondevlei Nature Reserve in 1994 where it has produced seedlings.

Being of South African origin the plant is not regarded as hardy in the UK and is preferably grown in a pot, using ericaceous compost, and brought into a frost free, light and airy environment during the winter months.

® E.2012:05  registered by Anthony Hitchcock, Nursery, Plant Collections & Threatened Species Program Manager Kirstenbosch National Botanic Garden.

‘African Showgirl’

Cerise (H6) to magenta (H13) shading to white flowers, 7mm long, in whorls of 4; grass-green foliage. This Cape heath has been marketed in New Zealand and most recently in Japan under the name ‘Erica × willmorei‘ (or one of the many variants of that name including Erica “wilmoreana”, “Wilmore’s heath”). Wilmore’s heath was a hybrid created in the 1830s with green flowers quite unlike this plant, and so the name must not be applied to an extant Cape heath.

® E.2009:06 registered by The Registrar for The Heather Society

‘Belvedere’ (=Erica verticillata)

Medium, erect shrub, to an average height of 1.7m, to 1m wide; old specimens to 2.0m. Flowers light pink, translucent in sunlight, tubular, 20mm, 3mm diameter; arranged in terminal, 4-flowered (occasionally 3-, 5- or 6-flowered) umbels on very short lateral branches arranged in whorls. Synflorescences neat, spike-like, each with up to 6 whorls of flowering branches, on strong, erect main branches; terminal apex of the stem continuing growth. Non-flowering lateral branches on the main flowering stems in whorls of 5. Foliage green; leaves to 5mm long. Seed produced.

Origins: accession number 109/01; this clone came from Belvedere Palace, Vienna, and probably originated from collections made for Emperor Frans Joseph II by George Scholl between 1796 and 1799. It has been cultivated in Vienna since early 1800s

Being of South African origin the plant is not regarded as hardy in the UK and is preferably grown in a pot, using ericaceous compost, and brought into a frost free, light and airy environment during the winter months.

® E.2012:07  registered by Anthony Hitchcock, Nursery, Plant Collections & Threatened Species Program Manager Kirstenbosch National Botanic Garden.

‘Can-Can’ (=Erica cerinthoides)

Flowers red; V-X; foliage green; habit tall woody; height 1.5m if not burnt.

A selected clone of the “Fire Erica”, one of a few Ericas that resprout from a woody rootstock after fire. The result is the production of clusters of lovely inflated, tubular, red flowers at the ends of short branches, which form neat, colourful shrublets in a bleak burnt landscape. Fire thus keeps this plant in good healthy condition and will stimulate flowering at any time of the year. After a number of years they will grow taller, become straggly and produce fewer flowers.

See plantzafrica for more details on species.

‘Cherise’ (=Erica verticillata)

Medium-sized, erect shrub, to an average height of 1.0–1.3m, to 0.5–1.0m broad. Flowers dark reddish-pink, tubular, 17mm long, 4mm diameter, arranged in terminal 4-flowered (or less freqently 3- or 5-flowered) umbels, on very short lateral branches. Synflorescences neat, spike-like, each with up to 6 whorls of flowering branches, on strong, erect main branches; terminal apex of the stem continuing growth. Non-flowering lateral branches on the main flowering stems to 4–9cm long, in whorls of 5 or 6. Foliage dark green, glossy; leaves to 5mm long. Seed produced sparsely.

Origins: accession number 549/06 (obtained from Nurserymen’s Exchange, Monterey, California, USA). This clone was marketed in USA and UK under the registered trademark RUBY LACE™.

Named by Anthony Hitchcock after Cherise Viljoen, horticulturist at Kirstenbosch National Botanic Garden.

Being of South African origin the plant is not regarded as hardy in the UK and is preferably grown in a pot, using ericaceous compost, and brought into a frost free, light and airy environment during the winter months.

® E.2012:11  registered by Anthony Hitchcock, Nursery, Plant Collections & Threatened Species Program Manager Kirstenbosch National Botanic Garden.

‘Cinderella’

No description.

Plant of uncertain parentage, derived from Cape species. Introduced by G. Leurs, Germany, by 1994; granted plant breeder’s rights, 1 July 1994. Notwithstanding the duplicated use of this epithet (cf Daboecia cantabrica ‘Cinderella’) it is accepted under ICNCP Art 22.2.

‘Crystal Palace’

White translucent flowers, 2cm long, tubular; mid-green foliage; erect habit reaching 0.7m in 2 years. Chance seedling which appeared among seedlings grown from the seed supplied by Silverhill Seeds from South Africa. First flowered in February 2000 at Shiota Heath Garden, Hamamatsu, Japan. A natural hybrid of Erica patersonii and Erica perspicua by Dr E. G. H. Oliver. It is very close to Erica patersonii in overall appearance having hairy, translucent, white corolla and anthers with appendages.  Raised from seed in Japan. Tender and needs a frost-free environment.

® E.2008:03 registered on 26 March 2008 by Satoshi Miwa, Hamamatsu, Japan.

‘Doctor Violet Gray’ (=Erica verticillata)

Flowers light pink, tubular, 20mm, 3mm diameter; arranged in terminal 4-flowered, or occasionally 3-flowered, umbels, on very short lateral branches. Synflorescences neat, spike-like, each with up to 6 whorls of flowering branches, on strong, erect, main branches; terminal apex of the stem continuing growth. Non-flowering lateral branches on the main flowering stems to 4–5cm long, arranged in whorls of 5. Medium-sized, erect clone, to an average height of 1.0–1.2m, to 0.5m broad. Viable seed produced sparingly.

Origins: accession number 548/06; from the collection of the late Dr Violet Gray who was a member of The Heather Society’s Cape Heaths Group; she is also commemorated in Calluna vulgaris ‘Mrs Ronald Gray’.

Being of South African origin the plant is not regarded as hardy in the UK and is preferably grown in a pot, using ericaceous compost, and brought into a frost free, light and airy environment during the winter months.

® E.2012:09  registered by Anthony Hitchcock, Nursery, Plant Collections & Threatened Species Program Manager Kirstenbosch National Botanic Garden.

 

‘Dresden’ (=Erica verticillata)

Bushy, medium-sized, erect shrub growing to an average height of 1.6m, but old specimens may reach up to 1.8m tall; 1-1.5m broad. The flowers are medium to dark pink (darker pink than ‘Tresco’ lighter than ‘Adonis’), tubular, 15mm long, 3mm diameter; umbellately arranged (3, mainly 4 flowered), on very short (3mm) lateral branches arising from the main stem, arranged in dense, whorled, pseudo-racemes below the ends of flowering branches. (Normally 3, occasionally 4 verticels per synflorescence)

The external morphology of the Dresden form is marginally different from the other Erica verticillata forms. The flowers are smaller and more congested, verticels fewer; non-flowering lateral branches are less ordered, normally arranged in single whorls or dispersed up the main stems and only a few are arranged in whorls of three (3-5) on the upper third of the stems.

Origins: This specimen comes from a small market garden nursery, Heidegartnerei Grunberg in Dresden, specializing in Erica. It is recorded at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens with the accession number, 14/2012 and cultivar ‘Dresden’. Herr Hemut Heidl bought it at a market in Berlin many years ago when Dresden was in East Germany. Cuttings were donated by Helmut Heidl GbR Wasserschwenden 3.87452 Altusried / Krugzell.Fax 0049 (0) 8374 – 23435  Web:www.hiedl-gbr.de. Landowner: N/A: Mail: hiedl-gbr@t-online.de. Landowner org: Heidegartnerei Grunberg. Landowner ph: 49 (03523) 71130 ® E.2018:01 registered on 10 April 2018 by Anthony Hitchcock Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens Nursery, Living Collections and Threatened Species Manager

 

‘Frida K’ (=Erica gracilis) {Heidi’s®}

Flowers slender spikes of white flowers, robust, long-flowering, durable; early- to mid-season; habit erect; foliage bright golden-yellow.
Named after the self-taught Mexican artist, famous for her self-portraits, Frida Kahlo de Rivera (1907–1957).

‘Gengold’ (=Erica nana x patersonia)

Open, erect habit, 10cm tall, 15cm wide; stems mid-green, glabrous; foliage light green in spring and summer, mid-green in autumn and winter; leaves linear with aristate tips, 8mm long, 2mm wide, glabrous; inflorescence a terminal cluster, about 15mm long; pedicel light green, glabrous, 2mm long, with 5 bracts at base; sepals light green, lanceolate, tips aristate, downy, 3mm long, 2mm wide; corolla yellow, tubular, about 15mm long, 5mm wide; anthers included, light green, linear, with divided lobes, without appendages; blooming period in South Africa from August to October. Not frost hardy but suitable for pot-culture.

Raised at Harold Porter Botanic Garden, Betty’s Bay, South Africa by A. van der Zeyde in 1988. Exhibited in September 1995 at National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland, by Kirstenbosch Botanic Garden.

Registered 12 January 1996: Deon Kotze on behalf of the National Botanical Institute, Kirstenbosch Botanic Garden, Claremont, South Africa.

‘Ghislaine’

A spectacular shrub with masses of flowers, deep magenta at the base with white lobes, 9mm long, VIII–I; mid-green foliage; height 61-75cm; spread 31-45cm. Even the earliest flowers do not fade until late in the year. Possibly raised by Milton Hutchins by 1980. Rescued from a nursery in Iver Heath, Berkshire, in 1994.and re-introduced Denbeigh Heathers, Ipswich in 1997. It is named after Anne and David Small’s eldest grand-daughter.

‘Harry Wood’ (=Erica verticillata)

Medium-sized, erect shrub, to an average height of 1.0–1.2m, to 0.6m broad. Flowers light pink, tubular, 20mm long, 4mm diameter, arranged in terminal 4-flowered or occasionally 5-flowered umbels, on very short lateral branches arranged in whorls. Synflorescences neat, spike-like, each with up to 6 whorls of flowering branches, on strong, erect main branches; terminal apex of the stem continuing growth. Non-flowering lateral branches on the main flowering stems to 4–5cm long, in whorls of 5 or occasionally spirally arranged. Foliage dark green, leaves to 5mm long. Seed produced. Similar to ‘Doctor Violet Gray’ (accession number 548/06)

Origins: accession number 657/06 received from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (accession number 1961-9001). Harry Wood, Curator of the Fernkloof Nature Reserve, Hermanus, sent seed to Kew in 1961.

Being of South African origin the plant is not regarded as hardy in the UK and is preferably grown in a pot, using ericaceous compost, and brought into a frost free, light and airy environment during the winter months.

® E.2012:10  registered by Anthony Hitchcock, Nursery, Plant Collections & Threatened Species Program Manager Kirstenbosch National Botanic Garden.

‘Helène’

Yellow-orange flowers deepening to a pinkish orange, tubular, 25mm long V–VII; dark green foliage; strong, vigorous ,upright growth; height 46-60cm; spread 46-60cm. The origins of this clone are obscure. A plant bearing this name was first introduced by J. B. R. Gentilhomme (France) in 1879 and it is possible that the plant bearing this name now is not the original. Tender and needs a frost-free environment.

‘May Queen Ina’

Pink tubular flowers, 20mm long, V–VII, very floriferous; dark green foliage; strong, vigorous upright growth; height 46-60cm; spread 46-60cm. Selected and named in Japan. The origins of this clone are obscure but is similar to Erica ventricosa. Tender and needs a frost-free environment

‘Orange Beauty’ (=Erica mammosa)

Corolla salmon-red, large, tubular; calyx salmon- red; September-December. Foliage light green. Habit upright, slightly bushy, sparsely and unevenly branching; after 5 years 120cm tall; 50cm wide.
Seedling, selected by J. van Leuven, in October 2000 in Luellingen. Registered on 20 January 2005, by J. van Leuven.

‘Spring Light’ (=Erica x cavendishiana)

Flowers yellow, May–June; foliage mid-green; habit upright, to 30cm tall, 20cm spread after 2 years (not pruned). More floriferous than ‘Gengold’ and upright.

Origins: deliberately raised seedling by Kurt Kramer, made in 2003 (03-14-2) between unnamed seedlings, both from Erica × cavendishiana ‘Gengold’ (Erica nana × patersonii), selected in 2008.

Being of South African origin the plant is not regarded as hardy in the UK and is preferably grown in a pot, using ericaceous compost, and brought into a frost free, light and airy environment during the winter months.

® E.2013:01  registered by Kurt Krammer, Edewecht, Germany.

‘Tresco Abbey’ (=Erica verticillata)

A small, rounded shrub, to an average height of 0.6m; to 0.5m broad. Flowers medium pink, tubular, 15mm long, 3mm diameter, arranged in terminal, 3- or 4-flowered (rarely 2-flowered) umbels, on very short lateral branches arranged in whorls. Synflorescences neat, spike-like, each with 3 (sometimes 4) whorls of lateral flowering branches, on thin, erect branches; terminal apex generally, but not always, continuing growth and then much less pronounced. Non-flowering lateral branches greatly elongated, to 14–21cm long, erect, reaching almost up to the apex of the shrub, spirally arranged. Foliage dark green, leaves to 4mm long, spirally arranged.

Origins: accession number 543/06; clone propagated from a plant in Tresco Abbey Gardens, Isles of Scilly, of unknown origin. ‘Tresco Abbey’ is noticeably different from all the other clones as there are no conspicuous flowerbearing stems; flowers are smaller and flowering whorls fewer. Seed sparsely produced.

Being of South African origin the plant is not regarded as hardy in the UK and is preferably grown in a pot, using ericaceous compost, and brought into a frost free, light and airy environment during the winter months.

® E.2012:08  registered by Anthony Hitchcock, Nursery, Plant Collections & Threatened Species Program Manager Kirstenbosch National Botanic Garden.

‘Winter Fire’

Fire-red tubular flowers,II–IV, very floriferous; mid-green foliage with yellow shoot tips in spring; compact but vigorous broad habit; height 90cm; spread 60cm. It was a seeding grown from Erica oatesii in South Australia but clearly is a hybrid. Tender and needs a frost-free environment.

Erica baueri subsp. baueri

Flowers white, pink or combinations of both, tubular in shape and grouped in attractive clusters near the ends of the branches; foliage small grey-green; habit sparse, upright woody; height up to 1.5m. Common name is Bridal heath.

First published 1805 in H.C. Andrews’s Heathery. He named it after his fellow artist at Kew, Francis Bauer (1758 – 1810) who was botanical artist to King George III.

See plantzafrica for more details on species.

Erica blenna

Flowers bright orange with green tips and are sticky; IV-XI; foliage deep-green, neatly arranged around the stem, point upwards and are slightly curved at their ends; habit erect, woody; height 1.2-1.5 m.

Name from the Greek word blennos, which means mucous, referring to its sticky flowers.

See plantzafrica for more details of species

 

Erica canaliculata

Pale pink cup-shaped flowers in profusion, IVI; the flowers are usually grouped in threes and the colour is dependent on growing conditions, being much deeper if grown outside; height at least 1m; spread 46–60cm. This species can withstand –7°C air frosts but is destroyed by –11°C air frosts

Erica cerinthoides

Flowers red; V-X; foliage green; habit tall woody; height 1.5m if not burnt.

The “Fire Erica”, is one of a few Ericas that resprout from a woody rootstock after fire. The result is the production of clusters of lovely inflated, tubular, red flowers at the ends of short branches, which form neat, colourful shrublets in a bleak burnt landscape. Fire thus keeps this plant in good healthy condition and will stimulate flowering at any time of the year. After a number of years they will grow taller, become straggly and produce fewer flowers.

See plantzafrica for more details on species.

Erica conica

Erect, branching shrub to 0.5m tall, flowering VI-IX in wild. Leaves erect, curving inwards in whorls of 4-6. Conical flowers 6-12mm long, borne in leaf axils on upper parts of shoots in dense spike-like clusters, red to deep purple-pink, with dark anthers without awns not projecting from corolla mouth.
Found on Cape Peninsula only.

Sources:

Ericas of South Africa (D.Schumann, G. Kirsten & E. G. H. Oliver) 1992: p. 47
Erica of the Cape Peninsula (Inge Oliver & Ted Oliver) 2000: no. 10

Erica cruenta

Curved blood-red flowers 3cm long in sprays of 30cm or more; blooms over a long period from VIII–I, and appears to be hardier than most; height 75–100cm; spread 46–60cm. It benefits from frequent pruning in the first two years.

Erica curviflora

Masses of yellow to orange to dark red curved tubular flowers 2-3cm long, flared at the mouth; anthers without awns or with very short awns, VIII–XII; neat compact shrub; height 75–100cm; spread 46–60cm Loves moist conditions, as indicated by its names waterbos and waterheide. Requires plenty of air during winter.

Erica discolor

Flowers tubular, about 2cm-2.5cm long, usually rosy pink or red with yellow or white tips; anthers with long awns. It tends to flower at any time of the year, most prolific X–XII; height 100-200cm; spread 100–200cm. Usually grows in drier places.

Erica fascicularis var fascicularis

Description

Pink, tubular, sticky flowers with pale green lobes: VI-IX; erect sparsely-branched shrub with a long slender stems; height up to 1.8m. Found in sandy, rocky slopes.

Named from Latin: fasciculatus = in clusters or bundles; referring to the arrangement of the flowers.

Erica fastigiata

Four Sisters heath. Bears clusters of four flowers (hence the name) at tips of branchlets, each bloom with four spreading lobes, varying from pink to almost white, with a ring of darker pink or green at mouth; anthers without awns. Usually a strictly erect bushy heath to more than 1m tall, but sometime sprawling; flowering VIII-I in wild. A variable plant, found in damp habitats especially see pages.

Sources:

Ericas of South Africa (D.Schumann, G. Kirsten & E. G. H. Oliver) 1992: p. 92.

Erica glandulosa subsp. glandulosa

Flowers curved and tubular, between 18 and 26 mm long, shiny and semi-translucent, normally pink to orange, but yellow-flowered forms are also found. It is a sturdy, medium-sized, single- to multi-stemmed, bushy shrub growing up to 1.5 m tall. Except for the flowers, it is covered with tiny glandular hairs, which give it a mildly sticky feel. The leaves are grouped on short side branches on sturdy stems giving the shrub an overall, thickly leafy appearance.

See plantzafrica for more details of this species.

Erica gracilis

Covered from top to bottom in 3mm urn-shaped flowers, usually in shades of magenta; XI; height 60–75cm. It cannot withstand severe frosts but even when dead, the flower retains colour for the remaining winter months. An extremely popular pot-plant in Europe which is used to decorate window-boxes and graveyards during the festivals of All Souls and All Saints (Halloween). Dyed plants are also now being marketed.

Erica longifolia

Very variable bushy heath, usually with sharply pointed, rigid, linear leaves. Flower tubular, constricted slightly at mouth, from 1 to 2 cm long, varying from white to green, yellow, brown, pink, red or purple, sometimes bi-coloured; anthers without awns. Blooms most of the year.

Sources:

Ericas of South Africa (D.Schumann, G. Kirsten & E. G. H. Oliver) 1992: p. 52.

Erica mammosa

The flowers are inflated-tubular with a closed mouth and are 15–20 mm long; form dense spike-like inflorescences, up to 200 mm long, towards the tips of the main branches; borne singly or in pairs in the axil of a leaf; colour varies from locality to locality and from bush to bush, ranging from orange-red, purple, dark red, greenish cream, and white, to various shades of pink; bright attractive flowers can be found throughout the year but mainly in summer and autumn (December to April). After pollination the flowers dry, each holds a fruit with 4 locules/chambers containing numerous small seeds. The seeds are shed when ripe. Slow-growing and long-lived, robust, erect, well-branched shrub, 0.5–1.0 m tall, growing to a height of 1.8 m if left undisturbed. It has small, linear leaves, 6–10 mm long, arranged in whorls of 4 to 6.

Erica pageana

A compact heath having rich buttercup-yellow flowers, 8mm long, IV–VI; height to 45cm. Although it grows naturally in marshy conditions, it does not like cold, damp conditions. The plant must be kept above –5°C.

Erica patersonii

Bright, golden yellow, waxy, tubular flowers are arranged in closely packed spikes on the middle to upper section of the stem; foliage dark green, tufts of needle-like leaves densely cover the branches; habit open erect, sparsely branched shrub growing up to 1 m tall.

The flowering stem resembles corn on the cob, which gives it its common name, mielie heath. Branching occurs mainly at the base of the stem and is woody and often bare.

See Plantzafrica for more information

Erica peziza

Upright bushy shrub, to 0.6m tall. Flowers pure white, VIII-IX (in wild), 0.5cm long, cup-shaped; corolla covered with long woolly hairs so resembling tiny balls of wild cotton; anthers with awn.

Sources:

Ericas of South Africa (D.Schumann, G. Kirsten & E. G. H. Oliver) 1992: p 101

Erica quadrangularis

Flowers are about 3mm long, in a wide range of colours from white to crimson; erect shrub reaching 60cm. Sometimes known as the Easter or Spring heather, this species very floriferous and rightly popular particularly in north America. Like all Cape heaths, it is best kept in a light, moist environment which is frost-free. Only very light pruning is required immediately after flowering.

Erica racemosa

Distinctive species with the grey-green foliage and light pink urn-shaped flowers, 3–4mm long, with dark brown anthers; blooms throughout the summer; rounded upright habit; height 46–60cm; spread 46–60cm. Prefers moist well-drained soil. Not frost hardy.

Erica speciosa

Bright crimson flowers often display pale green, white or yellow lobes; XII-III; foliage green, simple leaves are whorled, linear, entire and petiolate; habit erect; height 80-120 cms. Erica speciosa can be seen high in the Swartberg Mountains in large drifts forming shrubby stands over a metre in height.

Erica speciosa was first described by Henry Charles Andrews in 1804.

See Heather Society Yearbook 1998 page 31 for some more information about this species.

Erica strigilifolia

Upright, bushy shrub usually less than 0.6m tall. Flower colour variable, usually pink or red; corolla tubular, about 1.5cm long, with short hairs on outside; anthers without awns. Inhabits rocky outcrops.

Sources:

Ericas of South Africa (D.Schumann, G. Kirsten & E. G. H. Oliver) 1992: p. 71.

Erica subdivaricata

Masses of scented white flowers, 2–4mm long, X–XII; mid-green foliage; rounded bush; height 46–60cm; spread 46–60cm. It requires a frost-free environment.

Erica ventricosa

An erect shrub reaching 90cm; pink flowers are hard, dry and wax-like; about 15mm long. A very popular pot plant particularly in north America and Europe – it is presently being marketed as “Italian heather” which is a nonsensical marketing name of no significance.

Erica verticillata

A handsome, strong growing, hardy species averaging between 1.5 and 2 m in height, but old specimens have been recorded to grow up to 3 m tall. It produces beautiful pink, tubular flowers arranged in neat whorls organised in distinct groups up the principal stems and near the tips of sturdy branches. Peak flowering is from January to March, but this species produces some flowers intermittently throughout the year. It has been observed that inflorescences produced outside of the main flowering season are not as handsome as those produced during peak flowering as they tend to be arranged in a less orderly manner.

There are eight cultivars of Erica verticillata at Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden. Each collection is recorded in the Kirstenbosch plant records database with a unique accession number. The various forms have also been endorsed with cultivar names and numbers by the international registrar of erica cultivar names, Dr Charles Nelson.