Erica is a genus of roughly 857 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae.[2] The English common names heath and heather are shared by some closely related genera of similar appearance. The 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 consisting of separate petals. Erica is sometimes referred to as “winter (or spring) heather” to distinguish it from Calluna “summer (or autumn) heather”.
The Latin word erica means “heath” or “broom”.[3] It is believed that Pliny adapted erica from Ancient Greek ἐρείκη.[4] The expected Anglo-Latin pronunciation, /ɪˈraɪkə/, may be given in dictionaries (OED: “Erica”), but /ˈɛrɪkə/ is more commonly heard.[5]
Most of the species of Erica are small shrubs from 20–150 cm (8–59 in) high, though some are taller; the tallest are E. arborea (tree heath) and E. scoparia (besom heath), both of which can reach up to 7 m (23 ft) tall. All are evergreen, with minute, needle-like leaves 2–15 millimetres (0.079–0.591 in) long. Flowers are sometimes axillary, and sometimes borne in terminal umbels or spikes, and are usually outward or downward facing. The seeds are very small, and in some species may survive in the soil for decades.
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