Erica cabernetea

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Erica cabernetea
Erica cabernetea 15249938.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Erica
Species:
E. cabernetea
Binomial name
Erica cabernetea

Erica cabernetea is a plant species endemic to a small region in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.

Erica cabernetea is a small, highly branched shrub up to 15 centimetres (6 inches) tall. Leaves are up to 4 millimetres (18 in) long, crescent-shaped in cross section. Flowers are borne in small racemes at the tips of each of the branches. Flowers are rounded, deep red, about 4 mm across. Fruit is a dry, egg-shaped capsule about 3 mm long. [1] [2]

The specific epithet "cabernetea" refers to Cabernet Sauvignon, a red wine with approximately the same color as the flowers of E. cabernetea.

It is known only from the Elgin Basin in the Caledon District, Arieskraal, slopes above the Klein Palmiet River at an elevation of approximately 250 metres (820 feet), about 60 kilometres (37 miles) southeast of Cape Town. [1] This site lies within the Kogelberg Nature Reserve.

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