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Cross-leaved heath
Erica tetralix
52.0654, 6.02705
Field Notes
Description:
Erica tetralixis a perennial subshrub with small pink bell-shaped drooping flowers borne in compact clusters at the ends of its shoots, and leaves in whorls of four, whence the name. The flowers appear in summer and autumn. The sticky, adhesive glands on leaves, sepals and other parts of the plant prompted Charles Darwin to suggested that this species might be a protocarnivorous plant, but little if any research has been done on this.
Habitat:
Erica tetralix is native to western Europe, from southern Portugal to central Norway, as well as a number of boggy regions further from the coast in Central Europe such as Austria and Switzerland. This flowering plant lives in the nature on acid, wet substrate in moors, open pine-woods, peat-bogs or on the banks of acid lakes. The plant tolerates standing with its lower parts under water, but it can not live totally submerged.
Notes:
Spotted in National Park Veluwezoom, Holland.(sources:see reference)
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