Erica erigena

Description

It is a compact evergreen shrub growing to 75 cm, with somewhat brittle foliage and deep pink honey-scented flowers in winter and spring. The leaves are 4-whorled, measuring 5-8 mm in length and turning dark green at maturity.

Originally known as Erica mediterranea, the species was renamed in 1969 by R. Ross. The species name erigena comes from Erin of Ireland as "one applicable to something of Irish origin". E. mediterranea is now more commonly used to refer to E. carnea.

Distribution and habitat

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. It prefers cliffs and heathland.

Cultivation

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:

• Erica erigena 'Irish Dusk'
• Erica erigena f. alba 'W.T. Rackliff' (white-flowered)

References

References

1. {{BSBI 2007
2. (2008). "RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants". Dorling Kindersley.
3. "Great plant picks - ''Erica erigena''".
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. (1989). "Heathers in Colour". Blandford Press.
6. Foss, Peter J.. (1990). "The history of Erica erigena R. Ross, an Irish plant with a disjunct European distribution". Journal of Quaternary Science.
7. (July 2017). "AGM Plants - Ornamental". Royal Horticultural Society.
8. "RHS Plant Selector - ''Erica erigena'' 'Irish Dusk'".
9. "RHS Plant Selector - ''Erica erigena'' f. ''alba'' 'W.T. Rackliff'".