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Mediterranean Heath |
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| Nomenclature |
Species name: |
Erica multiflora L. |
Author(s): |
Carl von Linné;
Sweden, 1707-1778
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General names: |
Mediterranean Heath, Mediterranean Heather |
Maltese name: |
Leħjet ix-xiħ |
Plant Family: |
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Name Derivation: |
Erica = Heath or wasteland, the normal habitat of many members of Erica (Latin);
multiflora = Literally means multiple (multi-) flowers (-flora) (Latin) |
Synonyms: |
None |
Remarks: |
The only native species of the family in Malta. -
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| Botanical Data |
PLANT STRUCTURE: |
Characteristic | Growth Form | Branching | Surface |
Description | Erect : Upright, vertically straight up well clear off the ground. | Extensively Branched : Large number of compact branches and sub branches forming a shrub or tree. Common main stem is partially, or sometimes, totally covered by the branches. | Woody : Stems get lignified to become tough wood. |
General
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LEAVES: |
Characteristic | Arrangement | Attachment | Venation |
Description | Whorled : Three or more similar leaves growing at the same level about an axis (stem). | Sessile : Growing directly from the stem; without a stalk. | None : No prominent venation visible. |
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Characteristic | Leaf Shape | Leaf Margin | Remarks |
Description | Needle like : Slender and long. | Entire : Smooth margin without indentations, lobes or any projections. | |
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FLOWERS: |
Characteristic | Colour | Basic Flower Type | No. of Petals | No. of Sepals |
Description | Pink to lilac | Inflated Tubular Shape : A flower in which the petals are fused into an almost enclosed globe or urn shape, separating at the mouth into individual flared petals or small teeth-like flaps. | (1) Petals are fused into one unit Single tubular unit. | 4 |
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Characteristic | Inflorescence | Description | Ovary | Stamens |
Description | Raceme : Simple, elongated, indeterminate cluster with stalked flowers. | The pink flower is usually found hanging upside down due its long purple pedicels. The corolla have a cylindrical, tube shape with its promonent stamens and stigma protruding out from a star-shaped mouth. The eight, brown/purple anthers are located exactly at the opening of the flower. The single hair-thin style+stigma is about 3 mm longer than the stamens. | Superior : Ovary situated above the flower parts (the calyx, corolla, and androecium). In other words, these are attached below the ovary. | 8, Diplostemonous (alternipetalous) : Flowers which has twice as many stamens as petals. Stamens are arranged in two separate whorls; the outer whorl with stamens alternatng between the petals, the inner one opposite the sepals. |
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Characteristic | Scent | Average Flower Size | Pollen Colour | Other Notes |
Description | None (or very faint) | 6mm x 3mm Length x Diameter. (not including the flower stalks, anthers and stigma). | Pale Yellow | - |
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SEEDS: |
Characteristic | No. Per Fruit | Shape | Size | Colour |
Description | >100 Numerous tiny seeds per capsule. | Linear | 1mm x 0.5mm | Brown |
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FRUIT AND OTHER BOTANICAL DATA: |
Characteristic | Fruit Type | Colour of Fruit | Subterranean Parts | Other Notes |
Description | Dehiscent Loculicidal Capsule : A fruit capsule that splits open longitudinally into the cavity of the locule when the seeds are ripe. | Green | Taproot : A rooting system where there is the main descending root of a plant having a single dominant large structure from which a network of smaller and long roots emerge. | - |
General
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| Plant Description |
Life Cycle: | Perennial |
Habitat: | Rocky places, Garigues, Dry Woods, Hills, Cliff tops and sometimes at valley tops. |
Frequency: | Common |
Sources in Malta: | Common, especially in garigues and cliffs as at Dingli, Mellieha, Bahrija, Delimara, Qrendi and at valley tops of Wied Encita. Also Common in Gozo. |
Plant Height: | 20-80cm. |
| Dec - Mar |
Poison: | Not Poisonous |
The plant is usually found as a short shrub, of about 30cm lying on rocks and cliffs or other similar dry environments. It can withstand very well cold, wind and hot dry climates. The stems are not so much conspicuous because they are covered by dense leaves and flowers. Stems are woody, have greyish-brown bark and is extensively branched forming a bush
The leaves are arranged in whorls of 3 and sometimes of 5 around a stem axis, which its length can vary in any length normally up to 15cm. The whorls are very close to each other. The individual leaves are needle like, sessile and measure 1.5mm in width and about 6-10mm in length. The side of the leaf facing down have a central, pale, groove running along the axis.
At the apex of the leaf branches there are the infloresences, a cluster of numerous light pink flowers often pendulous due to their long slender purple pedicels (flower stalks) and arranged in racemes . Flowers outgrows as racemes. The colour of the flowers ranges from pink to very pale (off-white) pink. Some plants form flower clusters at the central part of the leaf axis, not only at the apex. Each single flower consists of 4 small light pink sepals, and an inflated tubular sympetalous corolla. Just at the opening of the corolla, the brown / purple anthers protude out giving the false impression that the outer brown 'ring' is part of the corolla structure.
The corolla (excluding anthers) is 5-6mm long and about 3mm wide, while its pedicel is about 2-3 times as much longer. Each flower have 8 stamens made up of purple-brown anthers and pink filaments and also a single hair-thin pink stigma which is longer than the stamens by 2 or 3 mm. The style runs down the corolla into a central, inferior ovary which is speherical in shape and magenta in colour.
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| Additional Information |
Medicinal Uses:
The plant has the following medicinal properties: [302].
| Antiseptic |
Destroys micro-organisms that carry disease without harming body tissues [WWW-32] |
| Astringent |
Produces contraction in the soft organic tissues, and so discharges of blood, mucus, etc.
[WWW-32 ] |
| Diuretic |
Drug that tends to increase the flow of urine. [WWW-32 ] |
Pharmacognosy of Erica multiflora
An undergraduate student, Maureen Delia, of the Department of Pharmacy, University of Malta carried out a Pharmacognosy project on this plant [302]. She describes how she made a decotion of the plant and extracted Glycosidic acid, an alpha-hydroxyacid. Glycosidic acid is used for the treatment of photodamaged skin due its anti-wrinkle and exfoliant properties. Topical glycolic acid accelerates the resolution of erythema in irradiated skin due its anti-inflammatory properties. The Acid is also used in peels (known as glycolic acid peels), much used for the treatment of seborrhoeic keratoses, actinic keratoses and verrucae.
Other uses of Glycosidic acid comes from its polymer compound, used as a surgical suture material and in the production of microspheres for controlled delivery systems for a number of drugs. Also, the acid or its salts can be used for the topical treatment of aphthous ulcers including cancer sores.
Other important extracts apart glycosidic acid were tannins (antiseptic) and ursolic acid (anti-inflammatory) ; properties which may improve the recovery of photodamaged skin.
Honey Making
In certain Italian places like Calabria, Basilicata and Marettimo, the plant is used to produce honey WWW-46]. The organoleptic properties of honey made from E. multiflora are described to have the same peculiar characteristics of honey made from other Ericacea species. These are:
- Endured and stable after production
- One of the fastest to crystallize
- Colour not limpid (hence not clear)
- Medium to strong scent of flowers, similar to the odour of the artificial aroma of honey
- Taste is slightly sweet and normal to decisevly acidic (i.e bitter)
- Aroma of medium intensity similar to an oven-baked cake with honey (eg. pan speciale)
- Very Persistent
pH of Soil preferred by plant
Many species of the Erica genus prefers acidic soil, but this particular species like alkaline soil instead. This is why we find the plant abundantly on our limestone-alkaline land. According to information found on a website [ [WWW-45] the pH of soil where plenty of E. multiflora were growing was 8.6
Personal Observations
Plant height:
Many references describe the plant to reach normally 1m and even 2 m height. In Malta the average height is 30-60cm, although large shrubs of about 1 - 1.2m height are ocassionaly seen. Probably the plenty of sun, and the restricted soil volume makes the plant grow low and 'small'. It usully grows as low shrubs in rock gaps and pockets filled with little soil inside or between rocks. They prefer to grow by spreading across over the ground rather then rising high. This plant is usually found on bare rock receiving full sunlight all day, so maybe if this plant finds itself in a partially shaded location and plenty of soil (like in woods), it may rise to the described height of up to 2m. [SM]
Infloresences:
Another observation is that botanical references describes the plant to form terminal flower clusters. As seen in aphoto below, there are E. multiforma variants in Malta which can produce flowers laterally along the central/upper part of the stem. [SM]
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| Photo Gallery |
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Photo of flowers, pink bell shaped corolla with protruding brown/purple anthers. |
Photo of flowers - Note the hollow in the anthers apical end from which pollen is liberated. |
Photo of flowers -Close up in situ. |
Photo of flowers - taken against a dark background in studio. |
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Photo of flowers - Note the long, slender purple pedicels. |
Scanned image of flower clusters against a dark background. Flowers usually grow at the apex of the branched flowering stems. |
Scanned image of the long flower stalks (pedicels) makes the flower assume a pendulous position. |
Scanned image of a crowded inflorescense. The type of inflorescense for this is described as racemes. |
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Photo a plant with very pale flowers, nearly white. The plant show a certain degree of variety in the colour of its flowers ranging from off-white lilac to vivid pink (magenta). |
Photo a plant with pink-magenta flowers, contrasting well with previous photo which shows a whiter form of flowers. |
Magnified scanned image of 3 single flowers dissected out from the plant. They have pink pedicels and an inflated tubular corolla. |
Magnified and annotated scanned image of 3 single flowers dissected out from the plant. The flowers at the middle and right side are taken from the same species. |
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Magnified scanned image of a single flower (lateral view). The outer brown tip are the stamens closely packed together, just above the mouth of the corolla. Note the central pink stripe on the tiny sepals and the 2 flap-like bracts at the base of the pedicel. |
Scanned image of disected flowers to show arrangement of stamens and pistil. The central inferior ovary is purple. Each flower have 8 stamens, some have been removed in this image during disection. |
Photo of flower clusters in situ. As it is shown, the plant produces large numbers of flowers. |
Photo of flower clusters in situ. |
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Close up photo of the pink flowers with their brown protruding stamens. |
Scanned and magnified image of disected stamens. Note a characteristic feature of the Ericacea family, hence the hole at the end of the anther from which pollen is liberated. |
A variant of the E. multiforma growing on Malta which is able to form flower clusters at the central part of the leaf, hence not only terminal inflorescense. |
Photo of shoots and leaves in situ. They are so dense that the woody stems are not visible. |
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Scanned image of individual needle like leaves. The normal dimensions are as anotated in the image, but the length can vary by few more mm. Note the interesting white groove at the center of the lower side of the leaf. |
Photo of the common habitat of the plant, hence gaps, pits and spaces in bare rock at full sunshine. Commonly found at cliff tops around the Maltese islands. The plant tollerate cold and wind. |
Scanned image of a twig of the plant showing the highly branched and woody stem, whorls of needle like leaves and terminal flower clusters. |
Photo of plant in situ. It is so much branched that it is often described as a bush. |
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Photo of plant in situ. Note the reddish brown colour of the shoots. |
Photo of plant in situ. This plant is in full bloom and it has many flowers that make the plant look more pink than green. |
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