Erica verticillata is a species of erica

Erica

Erica ,the heaths or heathers, is a genus of approximately 860 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....

 that was naturally restricted to the city of Cape Town

Cape Town

Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...

 but is now classified as Extinct in the Wild

Extinct in the Wild

Extinct in the Wild is a conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa, the only known living members of which are being kept in captivity or as a naturalized population outside its historic range.-Examples:...

.

Distribution

It formerly grew only in certain areas of the Cape Flats on the Cape Peninsula

Cape Peninsula

The Cape Peninsula is a generally rocky peninsula that juts out for 75 km into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope...

 of South Africa.

Habitat

It grew in Cape Flats Sand Fynbos

Cape Flats Sand Fynbos

Cape Flats Sand Fynbos , previously known as Sand Plain Fynbos, is a critically endangered vegetation type that occurs only within the city of Cape Town, including the Cape Flats district. Less than 1% of this unique lowland Fynbos vegetation is conserved.-Description:This is the richest and most...

, a fynbos

Fynbos

Fynbos is the natural shrubland or heathland vegetation occurring in a small belt of the Western Cape of South Africa, mainly in winter rainfall coastal and mountainous areas with a Mediterranean climate...

 type that is threatened by urban sprawl

Urban sprawl

Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...

 and fragmentation. It preferred damp sandy soils such as those that were naturally found around Wynberg, Kenilworth and Zeekoevlei.

Conservation

Although the species became functionally extinct

Functional extinction

Functional extinction is the extinction of a species or other taxon such that:#it disappears from the fossil record, or historic reports of its existence cease;#the reduced population no longer plays a significant role in ecosystem function; or...

 due to agricultural and urban development of its habitat in the early 20th century, cuttings from several plants discovered in the wild in the later 20th century have ensured that the species will continue in cultivation. 1984 saw the introduction of cuttings from two specimen, one in Protea Park, Pretoria

Pretoria

Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...

 and another in Kew

Kew

Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...

. The former were collected by Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden scholar David von Well after he recognized the plant from herbarium sheets photocopied by Kirstenbosch erica horticulturist Deon Kotze. The third infusion came from a plant found by Kirstenbosch foreman Adonis Adonis in a clearing.

This species was introduced back into the wild at Rondevlei

Rondevlei

The Rondevlei Nature Reserve is located in Grassy Park, a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. The bird sanctuary covers approximately 2.2 square kilometres of mostly permanent wetland and consists of a single large brackish lagoon...

, a bird sanctuary and nature reserve in Cape Town.

Ecology

Various pollinators such as bees and birds such as Southern Double-collared Sunbird

Southern Double-collared Sunbird

The Southern Double-collared Sunbird or Lesser Double-collared Sunbird, Cinnyris chalybeus , is a small passerine bird which breeds in southern South Africa. It is mainly resident, but partially migratory in the north-east of its range.-Habitat:This sunbird is common in gardens, fynbos, forests and...

s have been observed feeding on the tubular pink flowers on E. verticillata.

Cultivation

E. verticillata comes in three forms: the Kirstenbosch form, the Pretoria form and the Kew form. It prefers seasonally moist sandy soils, but will grow well in average garden conditions provided the soils are acidic. The best time to plant is in autumn or during the winter although they may be planted at other times of the year if regularly watered. It is important to never disturb its roots when weeding. Plants should be well watered after planting and then every two to three days unless good rainfalls occur.