Plant story - Erica margaritacea is rescued from extinction

Erica margaritacea was once found on the sandy Cape Flats from the Cape Peninsula to Stellenbosch. Farming and urban development have reduced the natural range of this species to a small area (42 hectares) within the Kenilworth Race Course in Cape Town. It is therefore categorised as Critically Endangered.

View on map: South Africa,

01 Jan 2010

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Erica margaritacea flowers; there are pink and white varieties (Photo: A. Hitchcock)

Plant profile

The specific name ‘margaritacea’ is derived from the Latin meaning ‘pearl’ and refers to its lovely pearl-like flowers.

Erica margaritacea forms an erect shrub to about 50cm tall. It has fine slender branches and small lime-green leaves. Small pearly-white or pink, urn or cup-shaped flowers are borne in clusters near the ends of the branches. Flowering occurs from October to March.

Restoration

Seed was collected in February 2004 and has been processed by the Cape Section of the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership in South Africa. Some of the seed is lodged with Kew's Millennium Seed Bank and some has been used as part of a conservation initiative involving restoration of disturbed areas at Kenilworth Race Course, Rondevlei Nature Reserve and on the Table Mountain Park managed land at Tokai.

Ex situ collections are also housed and displayed at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens.

Story by Paul Smith (2004) | More plant stories

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