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Cape Malay Heath

Erica thunbergii

Cape Malay heath is a shrub in the heath family, native to the Western Cape of South Africa. It is grown in gardens for its small pink to white bell-shaped flowers, and it needs full sun, good drainage and acidic soil to do well.

Family
Ericaceae (Heather family)
Light
Full sun
Water
Water regularly while establishing, then allow the soil to dry out between waterings; avoid waterlogging.
Soil
Acidic, sandy, free-draining soil or ericaceous potting mix.
Temperature
10-25 °C; tolerates light frost once established, protect from hard freezes.
How easy
Moderate
Native range
Cape Prov.
Climate
subtropical

About

Erica thunbergii, the Cape Malay heath, is a plant belonging to the genus Erica. The species is endemic to the Western Cape.

Other Erica plants

Erica abbottii · Honeysuckle heath · Summer heath · Erica albens · Erica alfredii · Cold Heath · Foxtail Erica · Erica amicorum · Erica amoena · Erica ampullacea · Erica andevalensis · Eyelash Heath

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Erica thunbergii by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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