What is Erica arborea used for?
Erica arborea L. Erica species (Ericaceae) are used in folk medicine of many countries for their therapeutic properties such as antiviral [1], diuretic [2], anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive [3], antioxidant [4, 5], antiulcer [6, 7], antimicrobial [8], hypolipidaemic [9], analgesic [10], and cytotoxic [11] activities.
What is the common name for Erica arborea?
Erica arborea, commonly called tree heath or white heath, is an evergreen shrub or small tree that typically grows to 8-12′ tall, but infrequently to as much as 20′ tall. It is one of the tallest species in the genus Erica. It is native to southwestern Europe, the Mediterranean region and northern Africa. 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.Generally known as heaths and heathers, ericas are colourful, evergreen, hardy and easy to grow. So it’s not surprising they’re such long-standing garden favourites, used in borders, containers, rock gardens, bee-friendly plantings and winter bedding displays.
How tall is the Erica arborea?
Erica arborea is an upright evergreen shrub or small tree with a typical height in the wild of some 7 m (23 ft), especially in Africa, but more typically 1–4 m (3–13 ft) in gardens. It bears dark green needle-like leaves and numerous small honey-scented bell-shaped white flowers. Ericas are usually low-growing shrubs that form spreading carpets or compact mounds, from as little as 15cm (6in) high, although they are usually around 30cm (1ft). Most are suitable for containers as well as borders.