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Spanish heath, Spanish heather

heath

Habit Plants ± erect, 15–30 cm; twigs of current season green, with short, stiff hairs ca. 0.3 mm, older twigs gray and brown striped, glabrescent. Subshrubs or shrubs [trees].
Stems

erect, spreading, or creeping, (much-branched);

twigs glabrous or hairy.

Leaves

in whorls of (3–)4;

petiole 0.2–0.3 mm;

blade linear-lanceolate, flat to compressed-triangular in cross section, 2.5–4(–7) × 0.2 mm, margins revolute, sparsely prickled, surfaces glabrous.

persistent, whorled;

petiole present;

blade coriaceous, margins ciliate, prickled, or glabrous.

Inflorescences

terminal panicles, ellipsoid, 10–25 cm.

terminal or axillary, umbels, racemes, or panicles, 10–30-flowered;

perulae absent; (bracteoles 2–3).

Pedicels

1–1.5 mm, shortly hairy.

Flowers

calyx lobes (connate ca. 1/3 their lengths), ovate, 1 × 0.7 mm, margins entire, apex subacute, glabrous;

corolla white to pinkish white, broadly campanulate, 4–5 mm, lobes ovate-deltate, 0.5–1 mm, apex broadly rounded;

stamens 10;

filaments 2 mm;

anthers awned, ca. 0.7 mm, awns 2, basal, 2-ciliate, 0.3 mm;

ovary glabrous;

style 2–2.5 mm;

stigma exserted, obconic.

bisexual, radially symmetric;

sepals 4–5, distinct, (shorter than petals);

petals 4–5, connate nearly their entire lengths [connate ca. 1/2 their lengths], corolla persistent, campanulate;

stamens 10, included or exserted; (filaments glabrous);

anthers with or without awns, dehiscent through narrowly oblong, subterminal pores;

ovary pseudo-10-locular;

style (slender, straight), included or exserted, (glabrous);

stigma filiform, obconic, or capitate.

Fruits

capsular [drupaceous], ellipsoid, dehiscence loculicidal [indehiscent].

Capsules

1–2 mm, glabrous.

Seeds

ellipsoid, 0.6 × 0.5 mm, finely pitted.

ca. 10, ellipsoid to obovoid, not winged, not tailed;

testa reticulate or foveolate.

x

= 12.

Erica lusitanica

Erica

Phenology Flowering late spring–summer.
Habitat Sandy coastal sites
Elevation 0-50 m (0-200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; sw Europe [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
Europe; Asia; Africa [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Erica lusitanica is found naturalized in coastal California (Humboldt County south to San Diego County), and in southwestern Oregon.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Species ca. 860 (4 in the flora).

All of the naturalized species of Erica, as well as some others and hybrids, are cultivated, especially in the northeastern and northwestern coastal areas (D. Metheny 1991). Most require acid soils, although E. carnea, E. vagans, and E. ×darleyensis (E. carnea × E. erigena) will accept neutral soils (A. Mikolajski 1997). Over 700 species are endemic to the Cape region of southern Africa; recent molecular phylogenetic studies suggest that the genus originated in Europe, and that the southern African species represent radiation from an ancestor of E. arborea (A. F. McGuire and K. A. Kron 2005).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Pedicels 5-8 mm; corollas 2.5-3.5 mm; anthers without awns; petioles 0.5-1 mm.
E. vagans
1. Pedicels 1-3 mm; corollas 4-6 mm; anthers with awns; petioles 0.1-0.3 mm
→ 2
2. Stigmas obconic, exserted; calyx lobes ovate
E. lusitanica
2. Stigmas capitate, not (or slightly) exserted; calyx lobes deltate
→ 3
3. Leaves in whorls of 3, surfaces glabrous, but with marginal prickles; ovaries glabrous; corolla lobes rounded apically.
E. cinerea
3. Leaves in whorls of 4, surfaces with scattered hairs and glands; ovaries hairy; corolla lobes acute apically.
E. tetralix
Source FNA vol. 8, p. 493. FNA vol. 8, p. 492. Author: Gordon C. Tucker.
Parent taxa Ericaceae > subfam. Ericoideae > Erica Ericaceae > subfam. Ericoideae
Sibling taxa
E. cinerea, E. tetralix, E. vagans
Subordinate taxa
E. cinerea, E. lusitanica, E. tetralix, E. vagans
Name authority Rudolphi: J. Bot. (Schrader) 2: 286. 1800 , Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 352. (1753): Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 167. 1754 ,
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