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Cornish heath

Habit Plants decumbent or ascending, 30–60 cm; twigs of current season green, glabrous, ridged from decurrent leaf bases, older twigs light brown, glabrous, rough from raised leaf scars.
Leaves

in whorls of 4–5;

petiole 0.5–1 mm;

blade linear-lanceolate, compressed-triangular in cross section, 4.5–6 × 1 mm, margins revolute, ciliate, surfaces glabrous, grooved abaxially.

Inflorescences

terminal or lateral racemes, ovoid to oblong, 5–10 cm.

Pedicels

5–8 mm, glabrous; (bracteoles 2, in basal third, 0.4–0.6 mm, scarious).

Flowers

calyx lobes elliptic, 1 × 0.5 mm, margins ciliate, apex obtuse, glabrous;

corolla pink or white, broadly campanulate, 2.5–3.5 mm, lobes deltate, 0.5 mm, apex obtuse;

stamens 10;

filaments 1.5–2 mm;

anthers not awned, 0.5–0.8 mm;

ovary glabrous;

style 3.5–4.5 mm;

stigma exserted, filiform, (glabrous).

Capsules

1–2 mm, hairy.

Seeds

ellipsoid, 0.6 × 0.5 mm, finely pitted.

2n

= 24.

Erica vagans

Phenology Flowering late spring–summer.
Habitat Sandy, acidic, upland sites in old pastures and roadsides
Elevation 0-50 m (0-200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
MA; PA; w Europe [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The Massachusetts records of Erica vagans are dated 1915 to 1921, from Nantucket Island.

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

Source FNA vol. 8, p. 493.
Parent taxa Ericaceae > subfam. Ericoideae > Erica
Sibling taxa
E. cinerea, E. lusitanica, E. tetralix
Name authority Linnaeus: Erica, 10. 1770 ,
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