Erica erigena
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Erica
Species:
E. erigena
Binomial name
Erica erigena

Erica erigena, the Irish heath,[1] is a European species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae.

It is a compact evergreen shrub growing to 75 centimetres (30 inches), with somewhat brittle foliage and deep pink honey-scented flowers in winter and spring.[2][3] The leaves are 4-whorled, measuring 5–8 millimetres (1⁄4–3⁄8 in) in length and turning dark green at maturity.[4]

It is native to Ireland, southwestern France, Spain, Portugal and Tangier. Its appearance in the far west of Ireland, separated from the main Mediterranean populations, suggests a garden escape.[5] It prefers cliffs and heathland.

In cultivation, it is often seen as groundcover amongst dwarf conifers. Like others of its kind, it is a calcifuge, preferring an open sunny site with well-drained acid soil. Numerous cultivars have been developed for garden use, of which the following have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:[6]

References

  1. ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  2. ^ RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 978-1405332965.
  3. ^ "Great plant picks - Erica erigena". Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  4. ^ Poland J, Clement EJ. 2020. The Vegetative Key to the British Flora. Second Edition. John Poland, Southampton ISBN 978-0-9560-1442-9
  5. ^ Foss, Peter J.; Doyle, Gerard J. (1990). "The history of Erica erigena R. Ross, an Irish plant with a disjunct European distribution". Journal of Quaternary Science. 5: 1–16. doi:10.1002/jqs.3390050102.
  6. ^ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 33. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  7. ^ "RHS Plant Selector - Erica erigena 'Irish Dusk'". Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  8. ^ "RHS Plant Selector - Erica erigena f. alba 'W.T. Rackliff'". Retrieved 7 June 2020.
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