Erica mackayana f. eburnea 'Doctor Ronald Gray' (Mackay's Heath)

About

Erica mackayana f. eburnea 'Doctor Ronald Gray' is a compact heath (Ericaceae) that produces terminal umbels of bell-shaped flowers. It typically reaches about 0.2–0.3 m, occasionally to 0.9 m, with numerous twiggy branchlets bearing small oblong leaves in whorls. Flower colour ranges from reddish‑purple to rose‑pink and blooms over an extended season. The long display runs from July to November, and flowers are borne in clusters of ten to twelve on each terminal umbel.

About the genus

Erica is a genus of roughly 857 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae. The English common names heath and heather are shared by some closely related genera of similar appearance. The genus Calluna was formerly included in Erica; it differs in having even smaller scale-leaves, and the flower corolla consisting of separate petals.

Wikipedia contributors, "Erica (plant)", CC BY-SA 4.0 — Erica (plant)

In the garden

Erica mackayana f. eburnea 'Doctor Ronald Gray' belongs to the genus Erica and was recorded in 1835 in both Spain and Ireland; specimens were sent to J. T. Mackay at Trinity College, Dublin. The plant is a small subshrub that forms numerous branchlets with small, oblong leaves arranged in whorls; its flowers are carried in umbels at the branchlet tips and typically number ten to twelve per cluster. Colour varies between reddish‑purple and rose‑pink, and the flowering season extends from July to November. For siting, place the plant where its long flowering period can be appreciated through late summer and into autumn. It suits small-scale shrub borders, rockeries or heather beds where its low stature and terminal flower clusters show well. Light pruning of spent shoots after the main bloom will help preserve a compact outline and encourage fresh flowering wood. Expect repeated terminal umbels over the July–November period rather than a single, brief flush of flowers.

More in the Erica genus

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