Erica tetralix
Erica tetralix | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Ericales |
Family: | Ericaceae |
Genus: | Erica |
Species: | E. tetralix
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Binomial name | |
Erica tetralix | |
Erica tetralix, the cross-leaved heath, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae, native to western Europe.
Description[edit]
It is a perennial subshrub with glandular leaves in whorls of four (whence the name). Appearing in summer and autumn, small pink bell-shaped flowers droop in compact clusters at the ends of the shoots.
Similar species[edit]
Related species E. cinerea has glabrous leaves in whorls of three. Calluna vulgaris has much smaller and scale-like leaves in opposite and decussate pairs.[1]
Taxonomy[edit]
The sticky, adhesive glands on leaves, sepals and other parts of the plant prompted Charles Darwin to suggest that this species might be a protocarnivorous plant, but little, if any, research has been done on this.[2]
Distribution and habitat[edit]
E. tetralix is native to western Europe from southern Portugal to central Norway, as well as a number of boggy regions further from the coast in Central Europe such as Austria and Switzerland. It has also been introduced to parts of North America.
E. tetralix can become a dominant part of the flora in bogs, wet heaths, and damp coniferous woodland.[3]
Ecology[edit]
A species of Trialeurodes whitefly discovered in 1971 was named T. ericae for the plant, due to its frequent association with it.[4]
Cultivation[edit]
In cultivation, like other heathers, E. tetralix requires an acidic soil, as it is a calcifuge. Numerous cultivars have been developed for garden use, of which E. tetralix f. alba 'Alba Mollis'[5] (a white-flowered variety) and E. tetralix f. stellata 'Pink Star'[6] have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[7]
In Culture[edit]
It appears in the 1938 German marching song "Erika" by Herms Niel.
References[edit]
- ^ Clive Stace (2010) New Flora of the British Isles, 3rd edition. Cambridge University Press.
- ^ Darwin, Charles. (1875). Insectivorous Plants. London: J. Murray.
- ^ http://linnaeus.nrm.se/flora/di/erica/erica/erictetv.jpg. Archived 2005-11-22 at the Wayback Machine[bare URL image file]
- ^ Bink-Moenen, Rosita M. (1976). "A new whitefly of Eric tetralix". Entomologische Berichten. Vol. 36. Amsterdam. p. 17.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Erica tetralix f. alba 'Alba Mollis'". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ^ "Erica tetralix f. stellata 'Pink Star'". RHS. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ^ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 36. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
External links[edit]
- Media related to Erica tetralix at Wikimedia Commons