Erica baccans L.

Glabrous shrub from c. 0.1–2.5 m high, usually erect, sometimes spreading. Lvs in whorls of 4, usually densely imbricate, curved and lying forward along stem, 4–9 mm long; margin revolute and contiguous, entirely concealing undersurface; apparent or false margin sometimes crenulate; petiole c. 1 mm long, appressed to shoot. Fls terminal, in clusters of (3)–4. Pedicels c. 5 mm long, pink and often obscured by the pink linear-oblong or lanceolate bracteoles overlapping the calyx. Sepals 4.5–5 mm long, elliptic-oblong or lanceolate-oblong, pink, keeled, ± mucronate. Corolla 5–6 mm long, globular, with 4 blunt-angled ridges and depressions between them, pink to rose, glabrous, constricted at apex; lobes short, broad, ± inflexed, sometimes deeper coloured than tube. Stamens included; filaments bent just below anthers, much > anthers; awns = or > anthers, fimbriate. Style included, short. Stigma capitate. Capsule c. 5 mm diam., almost globose, glabrous.

[From: Webb et al. (1988) Flora of New Zealand. Volume 4.]

Flowering: Aug.–Dec.