Erika ( Latin Érica ) is a vast genus of evergreens of the Heather family. More than 860 [3] [4] species of shrubs and shrubs (occasionally trees ), common in Africa , the Mediterranean , on the islands of the Atlantic Ocean , in the Caucasus . The greatest species diversity is observed in South Africa . European species of the genus Erica L. are rare even in areas of their natural range.
| Erika | |||||||||||||||||||||||
 Erica arborea General view of a flowering plant | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Erica L. (1753) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Synonyms for the scientific name of the genus Erica [2] :
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Erica is one of the two (along with Rhododendron ) largest genera of the Heather family: the number of species in it is more than eight hundred [5] , that is, about 20% of the total number of species in the family. Plants of this genus are characterized by small leaves and abundant flowering with elongated bell-shaped flowers. Some species are widely used in decorative horticulture when creating recreation objects with stones, as well as in flower gardens, parks, personal plots, etc.
Erica are ancient plant relics and therefore are important in the educational process for students of biological faculties.
Title
The name of the genus comes from the Greek. erek, by the name Erica of the ancient Greeks [6] , according to other sources, the name comes from the Greek. ereike - break, along brittle branches of a plant [7] .
Distribution
The birthplace of most species of Erica is South Africa : about six hundred species grow there [4] ; these species are known under the generalized name Cape heather . Many species come from other regions of Africa , as well as from Western Europe . About seventy species grow on the Mediterranean coast of Africa and Europe. One species grows in the mountains of the Caucasus . The eastern border of the range of the genus reaches Iran [5] .
In Europe, Erica, together with heather, forms the specific vegetation of the so-called heathlands ( heaths ).
Like all other heathers, Erica grows on acidic or very acidic soils - from dry and sandy to boggy.
Genus phylogenesis
Wolf E.V. [8] claims that the Ericaceae Juss family . preserved in Europe from the Neogene period . However, plant migration associated with changes in climatic conditions has left its mark on the formation of the modern common area of Eric. The question of the primary or secondary nature of Eric focus in the Cape region , where the greatest species diversity of the genus is observed, remains unclear today. With certain certainty, we can only say about the antiquity of Eric as relics of the Neogene period, as evidenced by studies on paleontology and comparative anatomy (Wilson et al., 1973).
Biological Description
Representatives of the genus are low shrubs (from 0.2 to 2 meters). Exceptions are Erica arborea and Erica scoparia species: these are trees whose height reaches seven meters.
The bark is brown or dark gray.
Erica leaves are located in whorls or partially alternately. Their length is 2-15 mm, they are elongated (linear or needle-shaped), with an oval leaf blade, the edges of which are bent down. As a result, on the abaxial (lower) side of the leaf , a hollow is formed, protected from the wind, in which stomata are located. A leaf of a similar structure has a special name - an ericoid leaf [9] , and a similar type of leaf is found not only among heather , but also among plants that are taxonomically very far from eric.
The stems are thin, stiff.
The flowers are elongated, bell-shaped , with a length of one to several centimeters, while in European species the flowers are smaller than in African ones . The color of the petals is from white to dark red, lilac [5] and even almost black [10] , rarely yellow.
The fruit is a four-leaved capsule filled with numerous small seeds .
Usage
Medical Use
Some types of Erica - for example, Erica cross - leaved and Erica gray - are diuretics and are used in the treatment of gout [11] .
Gardening Use
Many types of eric are decorative garden plants. Among them there are plants that do not tolerate frost and can be grown only in the tropics, and very frost-resistant plants. There are several compact species that are grown as houseplants [5] .
- Agricultural technology
Most species of Erica prefer neutral or acidic well-drained soil, but there are several species (for example, Erica fleshy and Erica Darlei ) that also tolerate calcareous soil . Plants do not like organic fertilizers . After flowering, eric is recommended to be pruned. Reproduction - by seeds or cuttings [5] .
Other use
Some types of Erica are good melliferous plants .
Erika tree wood ( briar ) is used to make tobacco smoking pipes .
Classification
Views
The genus Erica L. is quite numerous, however, there is no consensus on the total number of species of the genus, and different authors name it from “over 500” to “over 800” species. The vast majority of species are African. As for the number of European species, there is no certainty today. So, according to A. Rehder (1949) there are 13 of them; I. Hansen (1950) and G. Krssman (1977) - 15; DA Web, E.M. Rix (1972) - 16 species. The first publication on the genus Erica was the work of C. Linnaeus (1753). Studies of European species of this genus have shown that one of the main differences between them are vegetative characters. Due to this, free separation of natural species groups is possible according to differences during the updating of flower-bearing shoots, by the presence or absence of axes between the main and flower-bearing shoots. According to the system of I. Hansen (1950), European species of the genus Erica are grouped into nine sections.
Erica is a type genus of the Heather family.
Some Views
- Erica arborea L. - Erica is arboreal . One of the few tree- shaped eric species; height - up to 6 m. The species is widespread: in Africa - from the Canary Islands to Ethiopia , in Asia - to Iran , also found in Portugal ; in equatorial Africa, the plant forms forests. The trunk is usually curved [5] .
- Erica caffra
- Erica ciliaris L. - Eric ciliated [ syn. Erica ciliaris var. maweana ( Benth. ) Bean ] [ syn. Erica maweana Backh.f. ]
- Erica cinerea L. typus [12] - Erica gray , or Erica gray , or Erica ashen . European undersized appearance with white or pink flowers; there are many cultivars [5] . Medicinal plant ( diuretic ) [11] .
- Erica darleyensis - Erica Darley . Species up to 60 cm high with white or pink flowers. It can grow on calcareous soils [10] .
- Erica erigena R. Ross [ syn. Erica mediterranea auct. ]
- Erica heliophila guthrie & bolus
- Erica herbacea L. - Erica herbaceous . [ syn. Erica carnea - Erika the fleshy]. A short species (height - up to 30 cm), found in the mountains of Central and Southern Europe . One of the few types of eric that grows well on calcareous soil . The flowers are pink. There are a large number of cultivars [5] .
- Erica linnaeoides - Erica is linear . A South African species about a meter high, blooming in early spring. The flowers are partially white, partially pink. The species epithet is explained by a certain similarity of the flowers of this species with the flowers of Linnaea [5] .
- Erica lusitanica Rudolphi
- Erica mackaiana
- Erica scoparia L.
- Erica speciosa - Erica is lovely . South African species up to one meter high. The flowers are red with green tips. The leaves are collected in whorls of three [5] .
- Erica tetralix - Erica is four-dimensional , or Erica is cross- leaved . European undersized species growing in moist hollows , in wet heath . A distinctive feature is that the leaves are collected in whorls of four. The flowers are small, white or pink, as if swollen [5] . Good honey plant . Medicinal plant ( diuretic ) [11] .
- Erica vagans L. - Erica Wandering
- Erica × wilmorei - Eric Wilmore . A hybrid of several South African species. The flowers are tubular, pale pink with white tips, covered on the outside with soft hairs. Widely distributed in Australia , where it is grown for cutting [5] .
From left to right: Erica arborea , Erica mammosa , Erica lusitanica , Erica tetralix | ||||||||||
Taxonomic position
The genus Erica (Erica) along with the genus Daboecia - Dabecia , with which it is sometimes combined, as well as with the genus Calluna - Heather form the tribe Ericeae - Eric in the subfamily Ericoideae - Eric family Ericaceae - Heather .
Taxonomy scheme :
| Flowering or Angiosperms department (classification according to APG II System ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| heather flowers order | another 44 orders of flowering plants, of which Geranium , Kizilotsvetnye , Krossosomotsvetnye and Myrtotsvetnye are closest to heathers | |||||||||||||||||||||
| heather family | 25 more families, including Actinidium , Balsamic , Primrose , Sapot , Tea and Ebony | |||||||||||||||||||||
| subfamily Eric | seven more subfamilies, including the Vacciniae ( Vaccinium , Xenovia , Pieris , Belle ...), Cassiopeiae ( Cassiopeia ...), Pododelnikovye ( Grushanka , Zimolyubka , Odnotsvetka , Ortilia , Pododelnik ...), Styfelievye ( Snake-mongrel , Prionotes ...) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| tribe Eric | four more tribes, including Vodianikovy ( Vodianika , Korema , Ceratiola ), Rhododendron ( Rhododendron ...) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Eric's clan | birth Heather and Dabecia | |||||||||||||||||||||
| over 800 species | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Notes
- ↑ For the conventionality of specifying the class of dicotyledons as a superior taxon for the plant group described in this article, see the APG Systems section of the Dicotyledonous article .
- ↑ According to the GRIN website (see the Links section)
- ↑ Erica . The Plant List . Version 1.1. (2013). Date of contact May 13, 2016. (unavailable link)
- ↑ 1 2 Ericoideae (English) : Information on the APWeb website (Retrieved April 20, 2010) . According to the Missouri Botanical Garden]. The following data are presented on the MOBOT website: the total number of species is more than 765, including more than 600 in the Cape region .
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Botany. Encyclopedia ... (see section Literature ).
- ↑ Poyarkova A.I. Genus 1109. Erica - Erica // Flora of the USSR : 30 tons / started at hand. and under chap. ed. V. L. Komarova . - M .; L .: Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR , 1952. - T. 18 / ed. volumes B.K. Shishkin , E.G. Bobrov . - S. 89. - 802 s. - 3000 copies.
- ↑ Kreich I., Yakabova A. Rock garden in your garden. - Bratislava: Nature, 1986. - S. 138. - 311 p. - ISBN 83-09-00656-X .
- ↑ Wolf E.V. Historical geography of plants. The history of the flora of the globe. - M .; L .: Publishing house of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1944.
- ↑ Korovkin O. A. Anatomy and morphology of higher plants: a glossary of terms. - M .: Bustard, 2007 .-- S. 236–237. - 268, [4] p. - (Biological Sciences: Dictionaries of Terms). - 3000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-358-01214-1 .
- ↑ 1 2 Hession D. G. All about decorative flowering shrubs = The flowering shrub expert / Per. from English O. I. Romanova. - Ed. 2nd, corrected. - M .: Kladez Books, 2007 .-- S. 43. - 128 p. - 10,000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-93395-249-7 .
- ↑ 1 2 3 Vermeilen, Nico. Useful herbs. Illustrated Encyclopedia: Per. from English B. N. Golovkina. - M .: Labyrinth Press, 2002 .-- S. 116-117. - 320 p. - ISBN 5-9287-0244-2 .
- ↑ Generic Erica data in the Index Nominum Genericorum database of the International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT) . (Retrieved May 13, 2016)
Literature
- Kozhevnikov Yu.P. Family epacrisaceae (Epacridaceae) // Plant Life. In 6 t./ed. A. L. Takhtadzhyana . - M .: Education, 1981. - T. 5. Part 2. Flowering plants. - S. 96–97. - 300,000 copies.
- Botany. Encyclopedia "All plants of the world": Per. from English = Botanica / ed. D. Grigoriev et al. - M .: Könemann, 2006 (Russian edition). - S. 335—339. - 1020 s. - ISBN 3-8331-1621-8 .
Links
- Erica (plant) (English) : information on the GRIN website. (Retrieved February 23, 2009)
- Erica (plant) (English) information on the site " Encyclopedia of Life " (EOL). (English) (Retrieved February 23, 2009)
- Erica - article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia .