Erica lusitanica

Spanish heather

Family: Ericaceae · Type: shrub · Not Native

Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes

Spanish heather is a naturalized shrub found in northern coastal California, including Humboldt County, in disturbed, open, sandy areas at elevations below 50 meters. Flowering from March to July, this plant produces white to pale pink flowers in small clusters nestled in leaf axils. Growing up to 2 meters tall with dense, short branchlets, it forms a compact and intricate shrubby structure. Its leaves are bright green, needle-like, and extremely narrow, measuring less than one centimeter long and typically less than one millimeter wide. The plant has delicate sepals partially fused at the base, giving its flowers a distinctive petal-like appearance.

Habitat: Disturbed, open, sandy areas

Bloom period: Mar-Jul

Elevation: < 50 m

Bioregions: NCo (Humboldt Co.), expected CCo

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.