Fairy Heath

Taxonomy

Scientific Name

Erica fairii Bolus

Higher Classification

Dicotyledons

Family

ERICACEAE

Common Names

Fairy Heath (e)

National Status

Status and Criteria

Vulnerable D2

Assessment Date

2012/08/26

Assessor(s)

E.G.H. Oliver, R.C. Turner & L. von Staden

Justification

EOO 6 kmÂ², one known subpopulation is potentially threatened by too frequent fire and competition from alien invasive plants.

Distribution

Endemism

South African endemic

Provincial distribution

Western Cape

Range

Red Hill Plateau between Kommetjie and Simon's Town.

Habitat and Ecology

Major system

Terrestrial

Major habitats

Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos

Description

Fynbos, rocky, sandy ridges and shallow quartzitic sand over rock or quartzitic sand between low rocky ridges.

Threats

The Red Hill Plateau was formerly densely infested with alien invasive pines and wattles, but these have been cleared. However, scattered seedlings are still present within this species' habitat, requiring ongoing clearing and management. The population declined due to too frequent fires in the 1970s-1990s, but has since recovered, and escaped another fire in 2000. Frequent fire remains a potential threat to this reseeder.

Population

Erica fairii is currently known from a single subpopulation, limited to an area of 6 kmÂ², and consisting of around 3200 mature individuals.

Population trend

Stable

Assessment History

Taxon assessed	Status and Criteria	Citation/Red List version
Erica fairii Bolus	VU D2	Raimondo et al. (2009)
Erica fairii Bolus	Endangered	Hilton-Taylor (1996)
Erica fairii Bolus	Endangered	Hall et al. (1980)

Bibliography

Baker, H.A. and Oliver, E.G.H. 1967. Ericas in southern Africa. Purnell, Cape Town & Johannesburg.

Goldblatt, P. and Manning, J.C. 2000. Cape Plants: A conspectus of the Cape Flora of South Africa. Strelitzia 9. National Botanical Institute, Cape Town.

Hall, A.V., De Winter, M., De Winter, B. and Van Oosterhout, S.A.M. 1980. Threatened plants of southern Africa. South African National Scienctific Programmes Report 45. CSIR, Pretoria.

Helme, N.A. and Trinder-Smith, T.H. 2006. The endemic flora of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa. South African Journal of Botany 72(2):205-210.

Hilton-Taylor, C. 1996. Red data list of southern African plants. Strelitzia 4. South African National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.

Raimondo, D., von Staden, L., Foden, W., Victor, J.E., Helme, N.A., Turner, R.C., Kamundi, D.A. and Manyama, P.A. 2009. Red List of South African Plants. Strelitzia 25. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.

Schumann, D., Kirsten, G. and Oliver, E.G.H. 1992. Ericas of South Africa. Fernwood Press, Cape Town.

Citation

Oliver, E.G.H., Turner, R.C. & von Staden, L. 2012. Erica fairii Bolus. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2025/04/14

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