ABSTRACT
<italics>Erica gracilis</italics> is a small shrub and one of the about 550 species of the genus Erica, native to the southwestern region of the Cape province in South Africa. The margins of leaves are turned inwards to reduce water loss through stomata on the lower surface of the leaves. Their upper surface is waxy. Cultivation started in the second half of the 19th century in Germany. The apex of a growing shoot is like a dome and is surrounded by several leaf primordia. Most of the plant material, therefore, which later will produce flowers, has to grow from this date of the last pinch. Temperature therefore is the most important factor for growth and flowering.
