Erica verticillata P.J.Bergius (1767:99)
Cape Flats erica, Whorled heath, Whorl heath
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Synonyms: Ericoides verticillatum (P.J.Bergius) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 965 (1891); Erica concinna Aiton in Hort. Kew. 2: 23 (1789); Syringodea concinna (Aiton) G.Don in Gen. Hist. 3: 823 (1834); Erica paludosa Salisb. in Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton: 293 (1796); Erica verecunda G.Lodd. in Bot. Cab. 19: t. 1827 (1832), nom. illeg.; Callista verecunda G.Don in Gen. Hist. 3: 815 (1834); Erica cretica Tausch in Flora 17(2): 604 (1834); Gypsocallis manipuliflora D.Don in Edinburgh New Philos. J. 17: 153 (1834); Erica abietina Andrews ex G.Don in Gen. Hist. 3: 823 (1834), not validly publ.; Erica mediterranea Sieber ex Tausch in Flora 17(2): 604 (1834), not validly publ.; Erica multiflora Decne. in Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 2, 4: 353 (1835); Erica metuliflora Klotzsch in Linnaea 12: 502 (1838); Erica meuronii Benth. in A.P.de Candolle, Prodr. 7: 636 (1839); Ericoides meuronii (Benth.) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 967 (1891); Erica roxburghii Benth. in A.P.de Candolle, Prodr. 7: 682 (1839); Ericoides roxburghii (Benth.) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 967 (1891); Erica vaga Benth. in A.P.de Candolle, Prodr. 7: 667 (1839), nom. illeg.
Conservation Status
Extinct in the Wild (Helme & Trinder-Smith, 2006; Oliver et al., 2022; Christenhusz & Govaerts, 2024)
Last record: 1908 (wild) (Christenhusz & Govaerts, 2024); cultivation (1950 or later)
Rediscovered in 1984
The species was thought to be extinct even in cultivation by 1950, but was rediscovered in 1984 in a Pretorian park. Several cultivars of this species were registered in 2012 (Hitchcock & Rebelo, 2017).
Distribution
Cape Flats, Western Cape Province, South Africa
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
Media
Above: photo by Abu Shawka in 2011. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
References
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Christenhusz, Maarten J. M. and Govaerts, Rafaël. (2024). Plant extinction in the Anthropocene. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. https://doi.org/10.1093/botlinnean/boae045 [Appendix S1]
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Govaerts, R. (2001). World Checklist of Seed Plants Database in ACCESS E-F: 1-50919.
Grobler, A. (ed.). (2013). Erica verticillata Ericaceae. Flowering Plants of Africa 63: 104-119.
Hall, A. V., De Winter, M., De Winter, B. and Van Oosterhout, S. A. M. (1980). Threatened plants of southern Africa. South African National Scienctific Programmes Report 45. CSIR, Pretoria.
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Hitchcock, A. (2003). Erica verticillata is brought back from the brink of extinction, pp. 45-50. Yearbook of the Heather Society.
Hitchcock, Anthony. (2007). The return of Erica verticillata. Veld & Flora 93(1): 14-17.
Hitchcock, A., Cowell, C. and Rebelo, A. (2012). The lost fynbos of Tokai Park. Veld & Flora 98(1): 30-33.
Hitchcock, A., Cowell, C. and Stauch, M. (2008). Weaving the Golden Circle: Kenilworth Racecourse Conservation Area. Veld & Flora 94(1):31-35.
Hitchcock, Anthony and Rebelo, Anthony G. (2017). The Restoration of Erica verticillata - a Case Study in Species and Habitat Restoration and Implications for the Cape Flora. Sibbaldia 15: 39-63.
Humphreys, Aelys M., Govaerts, Rafaël, Ficinski, Sarah Z., Lughadha, Eimear Nic and Vorontsova, Maria S. (2019). Global dataset shows geography and life form predict modern plant extinction and rediscovery. Nature Ecology & Evolution 3: 1043-1047. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-0906-2 [Supplementary Dataset 1]
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