Erica ciliaris
| Dorset heath | |
|---|---|
| File:Erica ciliaris.jpg | |
| Scientific classification Edit this classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Erica |
| Species: | E. ciliaris
|
| Binomial name | |
| Erica ciliaris | |
Erica ciliaris, the dorset heath, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Erica.[1]
Description
[edit | edit source]It grows to 60 centimetres (24 inches), and has leaves 2–4 millimetres (1⁄16–3⁄16 in) long, with long, glandular hairs.[1] The flowers are 8–12 mm (3⁄8–1⁄2 in) long, bright pink, and arranged in long racemes.[1]
Distribution and habitat
[edit | edit source]Erica ciliaris has a Lusitanian distribution, stretching from Morocco in the south, along the Atlantic coasts of Portugal, Spain and France to south-western parts of the British Isles in the north.[2] In the British Isles, it is only found natively in Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and one location in County Galway,[3] where it lives in bogs and wet heaths.[4] It has also been introduced to Hampshire.[1]
In culture
[edit | edit source]E. ciliaris was voted the county flower of Dorset in 2002 following a poll by the wild flora conservation charity Plantlife.[4]
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b c d Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Erica Ciliaris L. R. J. Rose, P. Bannister and S. B. Chapman Journal of Ecology Vol. 84, No. 4 (Aug., 1996), pp. 617–628
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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