Species

Erica caffra

Etymology

Erica: From the Greek ereika 'heath' or 'heather'

Common Name(s)

hedge heath

Family

Ericaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

NVS Species Code

ERICAF

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Trees & Shrubs

Habitat

Terrestrial.

Features

Erect shrub up to about 3 m. Shoots are densely white-pilose. Leaves to about 13 mm. Small white (occasionally pink) bell-shaped flowers held in small clusters on then end of small shoots coming off the main stems. Capsule to about 2.5 mm long.

Similar Taxa

One of the few species of the genus with fragrant flowers. Also the carolla is obviously hairy on the outside. These characters and the longer leaves distinguish it from E. lusitanica for which it has been mistaken.

Flowering

July, August, September, October

Flower Colours

Red / Pink,White

Year Naturalised

1940

Origin

South Africa

Reason For Introduction
Ornamental

Reproduction
Spreads by seed.

Seed
Many seeds are produced.

Dispersal
People, gravity

This page last updated on 18 Jan 2010