Erica(plant)
| Erica | |
|---|---|
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| Erica carneain flower | |
Scientific classification
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Subfamily: | Ericoideae |
| Tribe: | Ericeae |
| Genus: | Erica L. |
| Species | |
| Synonyms[1][2] | |
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List
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Ericais agenusof roughly 857speciesofflowering plantsin thefamilyEricaceae.[3]The English common namesheathandheatherare shared by some closely related genera of similar appearance. The genusCallunawas formerly included inErica– it differs in having even smaller scale-leaves (less than 2–3 millimetres long), and the flowercorollaconsisting of separate petals.Ericais sometimes referred to as "winter (or spring) heather" to distinguish it fromCalluna"summer (or autumn) heather".
Description
[edit]Most of the species ofEricaare smallshrubsfrom 20–150 centimetres (8–59 inches) high, though some are taller; the tallest areE. arborea(tree heath) andE. scoparia(besom heath), both of which can reach up to 7 metres (23 feet) tall. All areevergreen,with minute, needle-likeleaves2–15 millimetres (1⁄8–5⁄8in) long. Flowers are sometimes axillary, and sometimes borne in terminalumbelsor spikes, and are usually outward or downward facing. Theseedsare very small, and in some species may survive in the soil for decades.
Taxonomy
[edit]Dulfer[4][5]published the last revision of the genusEricain the 1960s, treating 605 species. Many new species have subsequently been described (particularly in South Africa) and a further 83 have been included inEricafrom former "minor genera", such asPhillipiaKlotzsch andBlaeriaL.[6]A more recent overview ofEricaspecies is provided in an electronic identification aid,[7]but a modern taxonomic revision of the genus as a whole is still lacking.
Phylogeny
[edit]A number of increasingly detailed phylogenetic hypotheses forEricahave been published based on nuclearribosomalandplastidDNA sequences.[8][9][10][11]The closest relatives ofEricaareDaboecia(one or two species) andCalluna(monospecific), representing the oldest surviving lineages of a, by inference, ancestrally Palearctic tribe Ericeae.[9]The small number of EuropeanEricaspecies represent the oldest lineages of the genus, within which a single, order-of-magnitude more species-rich, African clade is nested.[10]Within the African clade, Cape and Madagascan/Mascarene species respectively representmonophyleticgroups.[11]
Species
[edit]Selected species include:
- Erica abietina
- Erica arborea
- Erica australis
- Erica azorica
- Erica baccans
- Erica caffra
- Erica cabernetea
- Erica canaliculata
- Erica capensis
- Erica carnea
- Erica cerinthoides
- Erica ciliaris
- Erica cinerea
- Erica comorensis
- Erica cruenta
- Erica×darleyensis
- Erica erigena
- Erica grandiflora
- Erica haematocodon
- Erica hirtiflora
- Erica jasminiflora
- Erica lusitanica
- Erica mackayana
- Erica mammosa
- Erica manipuliflora
- Erica margaritacea
- Erica mollis
- Erica multiflora
- Erica nana
- Erica nyassana
- Erica patersonia
- Erica peltata
- Erica plukenetii
- Erica pyramidalis
- Erica recurvata
- Erica reunionensis
- Erica scoparia
- Erica terminalis
- Erica tetralix
- Erica turgida
- Erica urna-viridis
- Erica vagans
- Erica ventricosa
- Erica versicolor
- Erica verticillata
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Heather fields in Ortegal (Galicia,Spain)
Etymology
[edit]TheLatinwordericameans "heath" or "broom".[12]It is believed thatPlinyadaptedericafromAncient Greekἐρείκη.[13]The expectedAnglo-Latinpronunciation,/ɪˈraɪkə/,may be given in dictionaries (OED:"Erica" ), but/ˈɛrɪkə/is more commonly heard.[14]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]Around 690 of the species areendemicto South Africa, and these are often called the Cape heaths, forming the largest genus in thefynbos.[15]The remaining species are native to other parts of Africa, Madagascar, the Mediterranean, and Europe.
Like most Ericaceae,Ericaspecies are mainlycalcifuges,being limited toacidicor very acidic soils. In fact, the term "ericaceous" is frequently applied to all calcifuges, and to thecompostused in their cultivation.[16]Soils range from dry, sandy soils to extremely wet ones such asbog.They oftendominatedwarf-shrubhabitats (heathlandandmoorland), or the ground vegetation of open acidicwoodland.
Ecology
[edit]Plants of this genus are eaten mainly by thelarvaeof manyLepidopteraspecies, includingSaturnia pavonia,garden tiger moth,true lover's knot,wormwood pug,thesilver-studded blue,[17]and theColeophoracase-bearersC. juncicolellaandC. pyrrhulipennella.
Some species ofsunbirdsare known to visit and pollinateErica.Two such species are thesouthern double-collared sunbirdand theorange-breasted sunbird.
Cultivation
[edit]
Ericaspecies are grown as landscape or garden plants for their floral effect. They associate well withconifersand are frequently seen in planting schemes as massed groundcover beneath varieties of dwarf conifers. They are capable of producing flower colour throughout the year. They can also be grown in tubs or window boxes to provide interest through autumn and into winter.[18]
References
[edit]
- ^"EricaTourn. ex L. "Plants of the World Online.Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017.Retrieved8 July2020.
- ^Stevens, P.F. (2001 onwards). "Ericaceae genera".Angiosperm Phylogeny Website.Retrieved 31 May 2022.
- ^Manning, John; Paterson-Jones, Colin (2007).Field Guide to Fynbos.Struik Publishers, Cape Town. p. 224.ISBN978-1-77007-265-7.
- ^Dulfer, H (1964). "Revision der Südafrikanischen Arten der GattungEricaL. 1 Teil ".Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien.67:79–147.JSTOR41769215.
- ^Dulfer, H (1965). "Revision der Südafrikanischen Arten der GattungEricaL. 2 Teil ".Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien.68:25–177.JSTOR41764839.
- ^Oliver, E.G.H. (2000).Systematics of Ericeae (Ericaceae-Ericoideae): species with indehiscent and partially dehiscent fruits.Bolus Herbarium, University of Cape Town.ISBN978-0-7992-2202-9.
- ^Oliver, E.G.H.; Forshaw, N. (2012)."Genus Erica An Identification Aid Version 3.00".Contributions from the Bolus Herbarium.22.
- ^McGuire, Avery F.; Kron, Kathleen A. (2005). "Phylogenetic Relationships of European and African Ericas".International Journal of Plant Sciences.166(2): 311–318.doi:10.1086/427478.ISSN1058-5893.S2CID85222709.
- ^abMugrabi de Kuppler, A.L.; Fagúndez, J.; Bellstedt, D.U.; Oliver, E.G.H.; Léon, J.; Pirie, M.D. (2015)."Testing reticulate versus coalescent origins ofErica lusitanicausing a species phylogeny of the northern heathers (Ericeae, Ericaceae) ".Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.88:121–131.doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2015.04.005.ISSN1055-7903.PMID25888972.
- ^abPirie, Michael D.; Oliver, E.G.H.; Bellstedt, Dirk U. (2011). "A densely sampled ITS phylogeny of the Cape flagship genusEricaL. suggests numerous shifts in floral macro-morphology ".Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.61(2): 593–601.doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.06.007.ISSN1055-7903.PMID21722743.
- ^abPirie, M. D.; Oliver, E. G. H.; Mugrabi de Kuppler, A.; Gehrke, B.; Le Maitre, N. C.; Kandziora, M.; Bellstedt, D. U. (2016)."The biodiversity hotspot as evolutionary hot-bed: spectacular radiation ofEricain the Cape Floristic Region ".BMC Evolutionary Biology.16(1): 190.Bibcode:2016BMCEE..16..190P.doi:10.1186/s12862-016-0764-3.ISSN1471-2148.PMC5027107.PMID27639849.
- ^Scarborough, John (1992).Medical Terminologies: Classical Origins Oklahoma Series in Classical Culture.Vol. 13. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 20.ISBN978-0-806-13029-3.
- ^Gledhill, David (2008).The Names of Plants.Cambridge University Press. p. 156.ISBN978-0-521-86645-3.
- ^Sunset Western Garden Book.Leisure Arts. 1995. pp. 606–607.ISBN978-0-37603-851-7.
- ^Manning, John (2012).Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic Region: 1: the core Cape flora.Pretoria: South African National Biodiversity Institute, SANBI.ISBN978-1-919976-74-7.
- ^Shorter Oxford English dictionary, 6th ed.United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. 2007. p. 3804.ISBN978-0199206872.
- ^Thomas, C. D.; Glen, S. W. T.; Lewis, O. T.; Hill, J. K.; Blakeley, D. S. (1999-02-01). "Population differentiation and conservation of endemic races: the butterfly, Plebejus argus".Animal Conservation.2(1): 15–21.Bibcode:1999AnCon...2...15T.doi:10.1111/j.1469-1795.1999.tb00044.x.ISSN1469-1795.S2CID44647405.
- ^RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants.United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136.ISBN978-1405332965.
