About Daboecia cantabrica subsp. azorica (Tutin & E.F.Warb.) D.C.Mc Clint.
Daboecia produce urn-shaped flowers in white, pink, and red shades. They differ from European Erica species by having a substantially larger corolla. Their leaves are always alternate, never whorled. The generic name Daboecia honors the Irish Saint Dabheog. Daboecia has an oceanic distribution across western Europe, including western Ireland, western France, northwestern Spain, northwestern mainland Portugal, and the Central Group of the Azores. Like Erica and Calluna species, Daboecia are calcifuges, tolerate neutral soils, and avoid peat. The plant grows on mountain trails and roadsides in western Ireland, where it was introduced by medieval traders carrying Spanish wine. The two Daboecia species have been widely cultivated and hybridized to create many popular garden plants. One hybrid between the two species is named Daboecia × scotica, and cultivars have been selected from this cross. Three Daboecia cultivars have earned the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit, reconfirmed in 2017: D. cantabrica 'Waley's Red', D. cantabrica subsp. scotica 'Silverwells', and D. cantabrica subsp. scotica 'William Hicks'.
