| Erica tetralix | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Erica |
| Species: | E. tetralix |
| Binomial name | |
| Erica tetralix | |
 | |
Erica tetralix, the cross-leaved heath, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae, native to western Europe.
It is a perennial subshrub with glandular leaves in whorls of four (whence the name). Appearing in summer and autumn, small pink bell-shaped flowers droop in compact clusters at the ends of the shoots.
Related species E. cinerea has glabrous leaves in whorls of three. Calluna vulgaris has much smaller and scale-like leaves in opposite and decussate pairs. [1]
The sticky, adhesive glands on leaves, sepals and other parts of the plant prompted Charles Darwin to suggest that this species might be a protocarnivorous plant, but little, if any, research has been done on this. [2]
E. tetralix is native to western Europe from southern Portugal to central Norway, as well as a number of boggy regions further from the coast in Central Europe such as Austria and Switzerland. It has also been introduced to parts of North America.
E. tetralix can become a dominant part of the flora in bogs, wet heaths, and damp coniferous woodland. [3]
A species of Trialeurodes whitefly discovered in 1971 was named T. ericae for the plant, due to its frequent association with it. [4]
In cultivation, like other heathers, E. tetralix requires an acidic soil, as it is a calcifuge. Numerous cultivars have been developed for garden use, of which E. tetralix f. alba 'Alba Mollis' [5] (a white-flowered variety) and E. tetralix f. stellata 'Pink Star' [6] have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [7]
It appears in the 1938 German marching song "Erika" by Herms Niel.
Media related to Erica tetralix at Wikimedia Commons
