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Erica vagans L.

Cornish heath (en), Bruyère vagabonde (fr), Bruyère voyageuse (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Ericales > Ericaceae > Erica

Characteristics

Plants decumbent or ascending, 30-60 cm; twigs of current season green, glabrous, ridged from decurrent leaf bases, older twigs light brown, glabrous, rough from raised leaf scars. Leaves in whorls of 4-5; petiole 0.5-1 mm; blade linear-lanceolate, compressed-triangular in cross section, 4.5-6 × 1 mm, margins revolute, ciliate, surfaces glabrous, grooved abaxially. Inflorescences terminal or lateral racemes, ovoid to oblong, 5-10 cm. Pedicels 5-8 mm, glabrous; (bracteoles 2, in basal third, 0.4-0.6 mm, scarious). Flowers: calyx lobes elliptic, 1 × 0.5 mm, margins ciliate, apex obtuse, glabrous; corolla pink or white, broadly campanulate, 2.5-3.5 mm, lobes deltate, 0.5 mm, apex obtuse; stamens 10; filaments 1.5-2 mm; anthers not awned, 0.5-0.8 mm; ovary glabrous; style 3.5-4.5 mm; stigma exserted, filiform, (glabrous). Capsules 1-2 mm, hairy. Seeds ellipsoid, 0.6 × 0.5 mm, finely pitted. 2n = 24.
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Glabrous shrub forming large spreading clumps with ascending stems to c. 50-(70) cm high. Lvs ± patent, in whorls of 4, 6-13 mm long, strongly revolute and usually margins contiguous; petioles very short. Fls in small clusters, these aggregated into dense terminal or axillary panicles. Pedicels 5-10 mm long, reddish, slender. Bracteoles linear, white, situated in lower 1/2 of pedicel, 0.75-1 mm long, fimbriate. Sepals c. 1 mm long, ovate, whitish, minutely ciliate, acute to almost mucronate. Corolla 3-4 mm long, campanulate or subglobose, pink or rose (often white in cultivation), glabrous; lobes short, broad-triangular, erect or suberect. Stamens exserted; anthers c. 0.75 mm long, black, divergent, awnless. Style > stamens, reddish; stigma shallowly lobed. Capsules not seen.
Shrub to 5 dm; lvs narrowly linear, glabrous; sep glabrous, broadly ovate; cor campanulate, 3–4 mm; anthers exsert, without appendages; 2n=24. Nantucket Isl., Mass. Summer.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread barochory
Mature width (meter) 0.63 - 0.88
Mature height (meter) 0.75
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) 0.05
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

Heaths in S. Cornwall, rare in Britain but locally common and abundant in Cornwall.
Light 6-8
Soil humidity 2-6
Soil texture 3-5
Soil acidity 2-6
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 6-8

Usage

Uses dye medicinal
Edible -
Therapeutic use Cyanogenetic (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°) -23
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Erica vagans habit picture by Sans Attaches (cc-by-sa)
Erica vagans habit picture by michel metzger (cc-by-sa)
Erica vagans habit picture by Denis Alkan (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Erica vagans leaf picture by Stéphane Gleizes (cc-by-sa)
Erica vagans leaf picture by L Rey (cc-by-sa)
Erica vagans leaf picture by Manuel Cañizares (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Erica vagans flower picture by aline saubion (cc-by-sa)
Erica vagans flower picture by Jean-Luc Hercent (cc-by-sa)
Erica vagans flower picture by benoit T (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Erica vagans fruit picture by Alain Lagrave (cc-by-sa)
Erica vagans fruit picture by Manuel Barón (cc-by-sa)
Erica vagans fruit picture by William Coville (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Erica vagans world distribution map, present in Switzerland, Algeria, Spain, France, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, India, New Zealand, Portugal, and United States of America

Conservation status

Erica vagans threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:332093-2
WFO ID wfo-0000673518
COL ID 6GKZZ
BDTFX ID 24783
INPN ID 96698
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Gypsocallis vagans Erica multiflora Ericoides decipiens Ericoides pallidopurpureum Ericoides vagans Erica decipiens Erica didyma Erica vaga Erica pallidopurpurea Erica vagans var. alba Erica vagans f. alba Erica vagans f. anandra Erica vagans f. viridula Erica vagans
WorldFloraDB 2024