Book review: Ericas of the Fynbos

Ericas of the Fynbos

John Manning and Nick Helme

Penguin Random House

Review: Karen Watkins

Amateur botanists, hikers, gardeners and anyone with a love for plants and mountains will be thrilled to add this compact, colourful 180-page guidebook to their backpacks, car boots and libraries.

Proteaceae (Proteas), Restionaceae (reeds) and Ericaceae (heath) make up the distinguishing botanical features of the Cape fynbos at the southwestern tip of Africa. Members of the genus Erica are found from the moorlands of England to Madagascar to the Cape Floristic Region which is home to about 90% of the world’s Erica species. This guide concentrates on some of the 680 South African species, specifically 170 of the most common varieties found here.

With colour illustrations, each Erica is described in detail, with key identification features highlighted for quick reference. There are facts regarding soil type, distribution, flowering times, subspecies and red list category status. The species have been divided into groups based on floral characters – small flower heads, vase, urn, cup or goblet shape.

There is also a section including the diversity of pollinators. Apart from wind they include sunbirds, beetles, mice, moths, gerbils and horseflies.

Using layman language, plant parts are described at the beginning of the book to help with identification of species.

Some of the fun facts found in the book are that the genus – a group of plants – derives from the Latin word ereiko which means ‘heath’ or ‘broom’. Ericaceae is also shared with rhododendron, cranberries, blueberries and wintergreen – although not indigenous to South Africa. Some species, such as Erica paniculata, produce clouds of pollen when shaken and due to the abundance of ericas in the Western Cape they are important in the production of honey. One of the most easily grown ericas, Erica verticillata, which became extinct in the wild in 1950 but has been re-established from cultivated material in pockets on the Cape Peninsula, Including Tokai and Die Oog nature reserves.

Dr John Manning lives in Mowbray and is an internationally acclaimed botanist. Nick Helme lives in Scarborough and undertakes botanical and ecological assessments locally and internationally. He has discovered more than 100 previously undescribed plant species.