Fire Heath
Erica cerinthoides
Family: Ericaceae
What it is like
Erica cerinthoides is an evergreen Shrub growing to 1.5 m (5ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. It is in leaf all year, in flower from May to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 1.5
Where it is found
Dry flats and in the mountains.
S. Africa from the Cape to northern Transvaal and Swaziland.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 1
The flowers are sucked for their abundant sweet nectar.
Nectar: produced in such abundance by some flowers that it can be harvested fairly easily.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating:
The plant is fire-resistant.
Fire retardant: Plants that do not easily burn and can be used in barrier plantings to limit the spread of forest fires.
How it is grown
Requires a light lime-free loam. A calcifuge plant, requiring a pH below 6. Grows best in a poor soil. Prefers an open situation. This species is unlikely to be hardy in Britain. One report suggests that it can be grown in the milder areas, but another says that it is not frost-tolerant. In the wild the plant is often burnt down in fires, resprouting from the base. Indeed, this regular burning keeps the plant healthy and, in cultivation, it is advisable to prune the plant back hard each year and to dress it with a light dressing of bonfire soil. A good bee plant. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus.
Propagating it: Seed - surface sow in a sandy compost in a cold frame in spring. Keep moist. Prick out the plants as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant them in their permanent positions when they are 5 - 8cm tall. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 3cm long taken from twiggy lateral growths near the base of the plant, July/August in a frame. Remove the leaves from the bottom part of the stem without causing any damage to the bark. The cuttings root in a few weeks if they are given some bottom heat. Plant out in spring. Layering in spring or autumn. Plants can be 'dropped' and then dug up and divided about 6 - 12 months later. Dropping involves digging up the plant and then replanting it about 15 - 20cm deeper in the soil to encourage roots to form along the stems.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; East Wall. By. South Wall. By. West Wall. By.
Habit: Shrub
Hardiness: 9-11
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist