Erica discolor Andrews

Family: Ericaceae

Common names: two-colour heath

국표에는 없다.

 

Erica discolor is a very common and variable species complex that used to consist of two well-known and widespread species namely, Erica discolor and Erica speciosa, and the more localized Erica hebecalyx. Despite Erica discolor’s well-known status as species, many people have difficulty identifying plants from this complex, even finding it problematic to separate them from Erica versicolor and Erica unicolor, and its variants.

Description

Erica discolor varies from an erect, single-stemmed or sparsely branched, reseeding shrub up to 2 m tall, to a dense-growing, multi-stemmed, resprouting shrub, about 1 m tall. Flowers are tubular and slightly curved, smooth, sometimes slightly sticky, pink to dark orange-red with pale yellow to white tips. Green flowered forms are also known to exist. Flowers are produced singly or in groups of three at the ends of short, lateral, leafy side branches. The main flowering time is cited as January to July, however, the reseeding variety has been noted to produce flowers throughout the year.

Conservation Status

Erica discolor is a widespread and abundant species and not in danger of extinction. It has a conservation status of Least Concern (LC).

Distribution and habitat

Erica discolor is a very common and widespread species, often recorded on mountain slopes and coastal hills and plains from Betty’s Bay to Port Elizabeth, and inland from Matjiesfontein to the Swartberg.

Derivation of name and historical aspects

The name Erica discolor was given it by Andrews and describes the way the flower changes colour from the tip to the base. The specific name discolor, originates from the Latin. The Latin word has two parts: the prefix dis- meaning ‘away from’ or ‘apart’, and color, meaning that the colour goes away from, or changes. In this case, the flower tube is red or pink at the base and changes to pale yellow or white at the tips.

The Erica discolor–versicolor–unicolor group of long, narrowly tubed species has proven to be very problematic to identify, because of considerable variation in most of their organs. Indeed, it is difficult to distinguish one species from another, whereas even the currently recognized Erica discolor varies from locality to locality. While there remains much confusion in the group, the considerable variation has led botanists to retain four common and widespread species, Erica discolor, E. versicolor, E. unicolor and E. diaphana, and describe two new species namely, Erica croceovirens and E. prolata.

Even with considerable field collections to study, the botanists have not identified satisfactory morphological characteristics to separate the variants to species level. They have, therefore, determined they belong to one widespread and common species, with Erica discolor being the oldest name.

Ecology

The climate is Mediterranean, with cold, wet winters and hot drier summers, however, the southern Cape receives rain throughout the year. Erica discolor grows on mountain slopes and along the windy coastal plains of the southwestern and southern Cape, from Betty’s Bay to Port Elizabeth. It also grows on inland mountains from Matjiesfontein to the Swartberg. It is often found growing in dense stands on mountain slopes and on hills down to the coast. There is a taller, less-branched, reseeding form that is killed by fire and regenerates readily from seed, which is produced in copious amounts. The sprouting form tends to be shorter, growing up to about a meter tall. This form is not killed by fire and resprouts from an underground stem after fire, and it also regenerates from seed.

This species is primarily pollinated by sunbirds, although it is likely that it is also pollinated by insects. The sunbird seeks nectar from the flower, by inserting its long, curved beak into the flower tube. In doing so, it disturbs the ring of anthers in the flower tube, which deposits pollen on its beak which is carried to the next flower and deposited on the sticky stigma completing pollination.

Erica discolor | PlantZAfrica (sanbi.org)

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