- Rating: A must-have for Fynbos lovers What is it? A field guide
- Ideal for fans of: Field Guide to Fynbos by John Manning, Field Guide to Succulents in Southern Africa by Sith, Crouch and Figuerido
- What makes it special? The attention to detail, and flowering times are highlighted
- Get it in South Africa from: Struike Nature
Ericas are one of the true gems of the Fynbos flora, yet they’re notoriously difficult to identify. Of the over 700 different species of this plant, many of them look eerily similar.
Well, not any more. John Manning and Nick Helme have solved the quandary of Erica identification. Ericas of the Fynbos is an easy-to-use guide to these glorious plants. After a comprehensive introduction covering Erica phenology, pollination, adaptive traits, and where to locate these plants, the 180 most common species are identified.
The different species are grouped, rather ingeniously, into five categories, based on the shape of their flowers. These are the elongated sunbird heaths. The bulbous vase heaths, small flower heaths, the adorable stoppered heaths (my personal favourite), and minor heaths. Thereafter, the various kinds of Ericas are narrowed down by the many defining features of each flower type. For example, whether they are velvety, have tassels, or the pattern in which the flowers cluster on a stalk. As an added bonus,endangered species are highlighted, so if you come across these, not only are you lucky, but you’re reminded that these are not for picking. PLEASE don't pick them.
From there, identification is a breeze, as you simply search for an image that best suits your specimen. To make it even easier, each entry features the geographic region in which the plant thrives, the months in which it flowers, and the average size of each bloom.
The photographs of each flower and plant are crisp close-ups, allowing you to see each hair or leaf on a plant to ensure you can accurately identify them.
And what a riot of colour! Who knew that there were so many different colours of Ericas (apart from the authors, and now, the lucky owners of this book). My ignorance of Ericas was further highlighted when I realised that what I’d mistakenly thought of as one very prolific pink Erica in our nearby mountains was actually a mix of ELEVEN different plants. Reader, I am humbled.
As a lover of plants, and botanical graduate, this book takes pride of place in my reference library. As a compact soft-covered book, it fits perfectly into a backpack, and I dare you not to take it with you whenever you’re among the plants.
Ericas of the Fynbos by John Manning and Nick Helme is published by Struike Nature, an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa.
