Erica lusitanica is a European species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae, known by the common names Portuguese heath
Description
Erica lusitanica is a hairy, woody
shrub just under in maximum height. It is densely covered in plumes of green, leathery, needle-like
evergreen leaves each less than a centimeter long. Flowers appear between the leaves, singly or in small clusters, in winter and spring. Each is a hanging rounded tubular bell of fused light pink-to-white petals. The fruit is a capsule a few millimeters long filled with minuscule seeds small enough to disperse on the wind. A single plant can produce millions of seeds per year.
Etymology
It is named for
Lusitania, a historical region encompassing most of modern Portugal and parts of western Spain.
Distribution and habitat
It is native to
Portugal,
Spain and southwestern
France.
Garden escapes easily become introduced species and sometimes invasive species— in certain climates. It has naturalised in the British Isles, California, Hawaii, Australia, and New Zealand.
Cultivation
Erica lusitanica is cultivated as an
ornamental plant for gardens. Like others of its kind it is a
calcifuge and prefers an open, sunny site in acid soil. It is typically seen in the company of other heathers and mixed
pinophyta. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
External links
