Erica umbellata

Erica umbellata on Citânia de Briteiros

Erica umbellata is a 10 to 50 cm (3.9 to 19.7 in) bush. It has young stems with barely marked ribs and reddish-brown bark. It has terminal inflorescences, umbelliform, with 3-6 flowers, without involvement of basal bracteoles. Seeds are ellipsoidal and 0.5–0.6 mm (0.020–0.024 in) long. The corolla is 3.5–5.5 mm (0.14–0.22 in) intensely pink or purple, occasionally albino.[2]

Erica umbellata on a siliceous soil

Erica umbellata is native to the western Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and western Spain) and northwest Africa in Morocco. Inhabiting bare terrain, dwarf or cleared heaths, scrublands, cleared forests, pine forests and subcoastal sand, always on siliceous soils, from sea-level to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) altitude. Some populations in the Algarve have very large flowers (up to 7 mm (0.28 in)) and were denominated var. major. Galician plants with graceful stems and small flowers were described as var. filiformis. Rarely some plants appear with rudimentary or aborted stamens (var. Anandra).[2][3]