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Irish heath
Erica erigena
Erica erigena, the Irish heath, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae, native to cliffs and heathland in Ireland, southwestern France, Spain, Portugal and Tangier. It is a compact evergreen shrub growing to 75 cm (30 in), with somewhat brittle foliage and deep pink honey-scented flowers in winter and spring. Its appearance in the far west of Ireland, separated from the main Mediterranean populations, suggests a garden escape.
From the article Erica erigena on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
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. The leaves are 4-whorled, measuring 5–8 millimetres (1⁄4–3⁄8 in) 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.
Range & 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.
Wikipedia: “Distribution and habitat”
How it is grown
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)
Wikipedia: “Cultivation”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Erica erigena in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 411075.