Erica (generally ), the heaths or heathers, is a genus of over 700 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae. The English common names "heath" and "heather" are shared by some closely related genera of similar appearance.

Most of the species are small shrubs from 0.2-1.5 m high, though some are taller; the tallest are E. arborea (Tree Heath) and E. scoparia (Besom Heath), both of which can reach up to 6-7 m tall. All are evergreen, with minute needle-like leaves 2-15 mm long. Flowers are sometimes axillary, and sometimes in terminal umbels or spikes, and are usually outward or downward facing. Flowers are borne in mass, and the plants are grown as landscape or garden plants for their floral effect. The seeds are very small, and in some species may persist in the soil for decades.

Approximately 600 of the species are endemic to South Africa, and these are often called the Cape heaths. The remaining 70 or so species are native to other parts of Africa, the Mediterranean region, and Europe.

Like most of the rest of the Ericaceae, Erica species are mainly calcifugous, being limited to acidic or very acidic soils – from dry, sandy soils to extremely wet ones such as bog. They often dominate dwarf-shrub habitats (heathland and moorland), or the ground vegetation of open acidic woodland.

The closely related genus Calluna was formerly included in Erica – it differs in having even smaller scale-leaves (less than 2-3 mm long), and the flower corolla being more divided into separate petals.

Plants of this genus are eaten by the larvae of many Lepidoptera species including Emperor Moth, Garden tiger moth, True Lover's Knot, Wormwood Pug and the Coleophora case-bearers C. juncicolella and C. pyrrhulipennella.

See also

• Heath (habitat).

References

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