Erica tetralix L.

Crossleaf heath (en), Bruyère tétragone (fr), Bruyère quaternée (fr), Bruyère à quatre angles (fr), Bruyère des marais (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Ericales > Ericaceae > Erica

Characteristics

Plants erect or ascending, 10-25 cm; twigs of current season green, with both appressed and spreading, stiff hairs, older twigs brown, glabrescent. Leaves in whorls of 4; petiole 0.1-0.3 mm; blade linear-lanceolate, flat, 3-5.5 × 0.5-0.7 mm, margins revolute, not prickled, abaxial surface stiffly short-hairy, adaxial sparsely, stiffly short-hairy (hairs ca. 0.1-0.2 mm), mixed with longer, glandular hairs (hairs 0.5-0.6 mm). Inflorescences terminal umbels, capitate, 0.8-1.6 cm. Pedicels 2-3 mm, glabrous. Flowers: calyx lobes narrowly deltate, 2.5 × 0.6-0.8 mm, margins entire, with short, stiff hairs, apex obtuse, with short, stiff hairs; corolla light pink, campanulate, 4-5 mm, lobes deltate, 0.5 mm, apex acute; stamens 10; filaments ca. 3 mm; anthers awned, ca. 0.7 mm, awns 2, basal, subulate, ca. 0.7 mm; ovary hairy; style 3-4 mm; stigma included, not slender, capitate. Capsules 1.5-2 mm. Seeds ellipsoid-ovoid, 0.3 × 0.3 mm, reticulate. 2n = 24.
More
A small spreading shrub. It grows 30 cm high and spreads 50 cm across. The leaves are grey-green and sword shaped. They are arranged in rings of 4. They are silver underneath. The flowers are pale pink. Some varieties have dark, rose-red flowers. They are urn shaped and in groups at the ends of branches.
Shrub to 4 dm; lvs narrowly oblong, at least the younger ones canescent, glandular-ciliate, as also the sep and bracts; cor ovoid, 7–8 mm; anthers with long basal appendages; 2n=24. Locally from Me. to N.J. and in W.Va. July–Sept.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread barochory
Mature width (meter) 0.48
Mature height (meter) 0.3 - 0.4
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a temperate plant. It grows in bogs and marshes. It suits hardiness zones 3-9.
More
Bogs, wet heaths and moors, rarely on drier soils.
Light 5-8
Soil humidity 4-8
Soil texture 2-6
Soil acidity 1-6
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 4-7

Usage

Uses dye environmental use medicinal
Edible flowers stems
Therapeutic use Fever (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by cuttings or seedlings. Seeds needs stratification.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment stratification
Minimum temperature (C°) -29
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Erica tetralix habit picture by Engel Ralf (cc-by-sa)
Erica tetralix habit picture by Sylvain Piry (cc-by-sa)
Erica tetralix habit picture by Ramón Valle (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Erica tetralix leaf picture by Clara Wagner (cc-by-sa)
Erica tetralix leaf picture by Mariella Van Gemeren (cc-by-sa)
Erica tetralix leaf picture by López Coronel David (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Erica tetralix flower picture by Clara Wagner (cc-by-sa)
Erica tetralix flower picture by Rémi Troisgros (cc-by-sa)
Erica tetralix flower picture by Clara Wagner (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Erica tetralix fruit picture by Emmanuel Gimenez (cc-by-sa)
Erica tetralix fruit picture by Frida lindblom (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Erica tetralix world distribution map, present in Belgium, Canada, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, and United States of America

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:329737-1
WFO ID wfo-0000673399
COL ID 6GLHZ
BDTFX ID 24777
INPN ID 96695
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Tetralix septentrionalis Ericoides glomeratum Eremocallis glomerata Erica botuliformis Erica calycinades Erica glomerata Ericoides mackeyi Ericoides tetralix Erica martinesii Erica rubella Erica tetralix