Daboecia

Daboecia
Daboecia cantabrica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Ericaceae
Tribe:	Ericeae
Genus:	Daboecia D.Don

Daboecia /dæˈbiːʃiə/,St. Dabeoc's heath, is a small genus of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae, containing two evergreen shrubs, closely related to the genus Erica. They are native to cliffs and heathland in south-western Europe.

They produce urn-shaped flowers in shades of white, pink and red. Daboecia differ from European Erica species in having a substantially larger corolla. The leaves are always alternate in Daboecia, never whorled. The generic name comes from the Irish Saint Dabheog.

Daboecia has an oceanic southern distribution in western Europe, including western Ireland, western France, northwestern Spain, Portugal and the Azores. Like Erica species, and Calluna Daboecia are calcifuges, but will tolerate neutral soils and avoid peat.

Some botanists regard D. azorica as a subspecies of D. cantabrica, which would render the genus monospecific.

The two species have been extensively cultivated and hybridised to produce a number of popular garden plants. Cultivars include selections from the hybrid between the two species, which is named Daboecia × scotica.

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Wikipedia