About Erica lusitanica Rudolphi
Erica lusitanica Rudolphi is a hairy, woody shrub that reaches a maximum height just under 2 metres (6+1⁄2 feet). It is densely covered in plumes of green, leathery, needle-like evergreen leaves, each less than one centimeter long. Flowers grow between the leaves, either singly or in small clusters, and bloom in winter and spring. Each flower is a hanging rounded tubular bell made of fused light pink-to-white petals. The fruit is a capsule a few millimeters long, filled with minuscule seeds small enough to disperse on the wind. A single plant can produce millions of seeds per year. It is native to Portugal, Spain and southwestern France. Escaped garden plants easily become introduced species, and sometimes invasive noxious weeds in certain climates. It has naturalized in the British Isles, California, Hawaii, Australia, and New Zealand. Erica lusitanica is cultivated as an ornamental plant for gardens. Like others of its kind it is a calcifuge and prefers an open, sunny site in acid soil. It is typically grown alongside other heathers and mixed conifers, and has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
