Erica L.
Genus composed of about 870 species, distributed throughout southern Africa and, to a lesser extent, through the rest of Africa and the western Palaearctic. In North Africa it is represented by 10 species, in the more humid places of the Mediterranean mountains; Among them, 8 are considered ± shrubby. The other 2 species of the genus in North Africa, smaller and scarcer, are:
E. numidica (Maire) Romo & Boratynski (E. cinerea L. var. numidica Maire), 15-40 cm in height, characterised by pink or purple flowers, without an involucre of basal bracteoles, anthers with appendages and glabrous ovary. Traditionally considered as a variety of E. cinerea, it has recently been separated at a specific level by characters as its shorter peduncles (up to 2 mm), longer bracts (up to 2 mm) and smaller flowers, almost half, of (3.5)4-5 mm long. It is endemic to the cork oak forests on the summit of the Koudiat Tella and the Jebel Koursi (200-300 m altitude), in the small Kabylia (NE of Algeria).
E. sicula Guss. (incl. subsp. cyrenaica Brullo & Furnari), 20-50 cm in height, characterised by pubescent branchlets, leaves and flowers; inflorescence in terminal umbels of 4-6 flowers, anthers without appendages; distributed in the eastern Mediterranean area, Sicily, Cyprus, Anatolia, Lebanon and, in North Africa in NE of Libya (Akhdar Massif).
E. numidica and E. sicula are very rare in North Africa. Currently, they have not been assessed at a global level in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Hansen, I., 1950. Die europäischen Arten der Gattung Erica L.. Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 75: 1-81. Brullo, S. & Furnari, F. 2013. Taxonomic and nomenclatural notes on the Flora of Cyrenaica (Libya). Webbia, 34(1):155-174.
Romo, A.M. & Boratyński, A. 2010. A new combination in Erica (Ericaceae). Collectanea Botanica (Barcelona). Vol. 29: 95-98. doi: 10.3989/collectbot.2010.v29.009.
Key to species
1 Leaves (including petiole) equal or shorter than the flowers 2
1 Leaves (including petiole) distinctly longer than the flowers 7
2 Leaves elliptic-lanceolate, with long white cilia Erica ciliaris
2 Leaves linear or narrowly lanceolate, glabrous or with very short hairs 3
3 Stamens longer than corolla. Anthers exserted or subexserted 4
3 Stamens shorter than corolla. Anthers included 5
4 Leaves of 3-10 mm. Inflorescences unilateral. Corolla pink-white. Sepals pink Erica erigena
4 Leaves 1.5-5 mm. Inflorescences terminal. Corolla deep pink or purple. Sepals green Erica umbellata
5 Leaves in whorls of 3 Erica numidica
5 Leaves in whorls of 4-5(6) 6
6 Leaves pubescent. Corolla whitish, broadly urceolate, anthers without appendages Erica sicula
6 Leaves glabrous or glabrescent. Corolla from pink to purple or greenish, elongated, almost tubular or bell-shaped, anthers without appendages 8
7 Inflorescence ± flattened, with all the flowers directed ± towards the same side. Corolla slightly or not tapered at the top. Pedicel with large lanceolate bracts surrounding the calyx Erica australis
7 Inflorescence ± spherical, with flowers arranged in all directions. Corolla longly ovate, straight, clearly narrowed at the top. Pedicel with only 3 small bracts that do not touch the calyx Erica terminalis
8 Flowers greenish-yellowish Erica scoparia
8 Flowers white or pinkish 9
9 Flowers in pyramidal panicles along the stems. Anthers included Erica arborea
9 Flowers in terminal cymes. Anthers exserted Erica multiflora
Updated by: A.V. Pérez Latorre & J. Charco