A genus of well over 600 species, all but twenty of which occur naturally only in South Africa. These latter are not hardy and are otherwise not suited to outdoor rock gardens. All but one of the twenty species, five subspecies and three wild hybrids native in Europe and surrounding regions are hardy, as are two hybrids from nurseries. Northern hemisphere, extending from the Azores and Madeira to Turkey, and from the Arctic Circle to South Africa, from sea level to over 4000m. They can form extensive areas of moor or heath or scrub, in bogs or drier land, most of them only on acid soil. Some species are naturalised in North America and in the Antipodes. Most are small or medium-sized shrubs with short, dense, needle-shaped leaves in whorls of three to six and bell or urn-shaped flowers in terminal or axillary racemes, panicles or umbels.
The more compact cultivars are well fitted to embellish rock gardens, with some taller ones for emphasis. The winter flowerers have the extra advantage that they tolerate a higher p H and are particularly welcome for their long flowering in the dreariest months. Other species will be in flower for the rest of the year. There are also cultivars with yellow or golden foliage throughout the year. Most species need acid, sandy and humus rich soil, except the lime tolerant EE. bocquetii, carnea, X darleyensis, erigena and terminalis.
a, E. cinerea; b, E. tetralix; c, E. vagans;