Editing Epacris impressa

{{Short description|Species of plant}}
{{featured article}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Common heath
| image = Epacris impressa Pink Form.jpg
| genus = Epacris
| species = impressa
| range_map = Epacrisimpressarangemap.png
| authority = [[Labill.]]<ref name=APC>{{cite web|title=''Epacris impressa''|url= https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/78833|publisher=Australian Plant Census|access-date=28 October 2021}}</ref>
| synonyms_ref = <ref name="APC" />
| synonyms = {{collapsible list|
* ''Epacris campanulata'' <small>[[G.Lodd.]] ex [[Drapiez]]</small> 
* ''Epacris campanulata'' <small>[[Loddiges family|Lodd., G.Lodd. & W.Lodd.]] nom. inval., [[nom. nud.]]</small>
* ''Epacris campanulata'' <small>[[DC.]] [[nom. illeg.]]</small>
* ''Epacris campanulata'' <small>G.Lodd. ex Drapiez</small> var. ''campanulata'' 
* ''Epacris ceraeflora'' <small>[[Robert Graham (botanist)|Graham]] [[orth. var.]]</small>
* ''Epacris ceriflora'' <small>Graham</small> 
* ''Epacris impressa f. ceraeflora'' <small>[[August Siebert|Siebert]] & [[Andreas Voss (botanist)|Voss]] orth. var.</small>
* ''Epacris impressa f. ceriflora'' <small>(Graham) Siebert & Voss</small> 
* ''Epacris impressa f. grandiflora'' <small>([[Benth.]]) Siebert & Voss</small> 
* ''Epacris impressa'' <small>[[Labill.]]</small> f. ''impressa'' 
* ''Epacris impressa f. nivalis'' <small>Siebert & Voss</small> 
* ''Epacris impressa f. ruscifolia'' <small>([[R.Br.]]) Siebert & Voss</small> 
* ''Epacris impressa var. campanulata'' <small>(DC.) [[Hook.f.]]</small> 
* ''Epacris impressa var. ceraeflora'' <small>[[Leonard Rodway|Rodway]] orth. var.</small>
* ''Epacris impressa var. ceriflora'' <small>(Graham) Rodway</small> 
* ''Epacris impressa var. grandiflora'' <small>Benth.</small> 
* ''Epacris impressa'' <small>Labill.</small> var. ''impressa'' 
* ''Epacris impressa var. nivea'' <small>(DC.) Hook.f.</small> 
* ''Epacris impressa var. ovata'' <small>Benth.</small> 
* ''Epacris impressa var. ruscifolia'' <small>[[Louisa Anne Meredith|Meredith]] nom. inval., nom. nud.</small>
* ''Epacris impressa var. ruscifolia'' <small>(R.Br.) Rodway</small> 
* ''Epacris nivalis'' <small>G.Lodd. ex [[Lindl.]]</small> 
* ''Epacris nivalis'' <small>Lodd., G.Lodd. & W.Lodd. nom. inval., nom. nud.</small>
* ''Epacris nivalis'' <small>Graham nom. illeg.</small>
* ''Epacris nivea'' <small>DC  nom. illeg., nom. superfl.</small>
* ''Epacris ruscifolia'' <small>R.Br.</small> 
* ''Epacris tomentosa'' <small>Lindl.</small> 
* ''Epacris variabilis'' <small>Lodd., G.Lodd. & W.Lodd. ex [[Richard Joseph Courtois|Courtois]] </small>
* ''Epacris variabilis'' <small>Lodd., G.Lodd. & W.Lodd.</small>
}}
}}

'''''Epacris impressa''''', also known as '''common heath''', is a species of plant in the heath family [[Ericaceae]]. It is native to south-eastern Australia (the states of [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], [[Tasmania]], [[South Australia]] and [[New South Wales]]). French botanist [[Jacques Labillardière]] collected the species in 1793 and [[species description|described]] it in 1805. Four forms have been identified, but no subspecies are recognised. Growing in heathland, shrubland or open forest, it is generally a small shrub around {{convert|0.5|to|1|m|ftin|abbr=on}} tall, with small stiff leaves. The red, pink or white tube-like flowers appear from late autumn to early spring. [[Honeyeater]] birds, particularly the [[eastern spinebill]], feed upon the nectar of the flowers. It regenerates after [[Bushfires in Australia|bushfire]] by seed or by [[Resprouter|resprouting]].

A highly regarded garden plant, the common heath was first cultivated in England in 1825; over seventy named [[cultivar]]s have been developed, most of which have now vanished. A pink-flowered form, often referred to as "pink heath", is the [[floral emblem]] of the state of [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]]. ''Epacris impressa'' has proven a difficult plant to [[Plant propagation|propagate]] reliably, which has limited its use in horticulture and revegetation. It grows best in well-drained but moist soil in a semishaded position.

==Description==
''Epacris impressa'' grows as a woody shrub with an erect [[Habit (biology)|habit]], sometimes reaching {{convert|2|to|3|m|ftin|abbr=on}} in height although plants in the range of {{convert|0.5|to|1|m|ftin|abbr=on}} tall are more commonly observed. The branches are stiff and have small leaves with prickly, pointed apices that are {{convert|8|-|16|mm|in|sigfig=1|frac=8|abbr=on}} long. The flowers mainly occur between late autumn and early spring, arising in dense and sometimes pendulous clusters along the stems. White, pink or red in colour, they are {{convert|1|-|2|cm|abbr=on|frac=8}} and are narrow and tubular with five indentations on the base.<ref name=Corrick>{{cite book|author1=Corrick, Margaret G. |author2=Fuhrer, Bruce A. | title=Wildflowers of Victoria and Adjoining Areas| publisher=Bloomings Books|location= Melbourne, Victoria | year=2001 | isbn=1-876473-14-2|page=73}}</ref><ref name=APNI23924>{{APNI | name = ''Epacris impressa'' var. ''grandiflora'' Benth.  | id =23924 }}</ref> The [[Catacorolla|corolla]] of the flower is formed by five [[petal]]s, fused at the base to form a tubelike structure, with the free petal ends forming five lobes at the apex. There are five whorled [[sepal]]s at the base of the corolla. Within the corolla is a central [[Gynoecium#the stigma and style|style]] that persists through development of the fruit.<ref name="Bailey88"/><ref name=eflorasa/> The style connects the [[Stigma (botany)|stigma]] at the apex and [[Ovary (botany)|ovary]] at the base, where the [[nectar]] is also located.<ref name="Bailey88">{{cite journal|author=Bailey, Peter |date=1988|title=The Flower – Part 3 |journal=Australian Plants|volume=14|issue=115|pages=295–96}}</ref> Different colour forms are often observed growing near each other.<ref name=Viridans>{{cite book |title=Wild Plants of Victoria (database)|year=2009 |publisher=Viridans Biological Databases & Department of Sustainability and Environment}}</ref> The fruit is a 5-[[locule]] capsule that is about {{convert|3.5|mm|in|frac=8|abbr=on}} in diameter.<ref name=eflorasa/><ref name=RBG8623>{{cite web|title=''Epacris''|work=Flora of Victoria Knowledge Base|publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne|url=http://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/dbpages/dev/vicflora/index.php/viclist/name/8623|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714200329/http://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/dbpages/dev/vicflora/index.php/viclist/name/8623|archive-date=2014-07-14|access-date=6 June 2014}}</ref><ref name=NSW>{{cite web |url=http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Epacris~impressa |title=''Epacris impressa'' |access-date=22 April 2010 |work= PlantNET – New South Wales Flora Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney Australia}}</ref> It is globular in shape, sometimes with one end flattened.<ref name=eflorasa/>  Initially green, it dries and splits, releasing numerous tiny seeds.<ref name=eflorasa/><ref name=Elliot>{{cite web|author=Elliot, Gwen|title=Growing ''Epacris'' from seed|publisher=Australian Native Plants Society (Australia)|url=http://anpsa.org.au/epacris7.html|access-date=12 June 2014}}</ref><ref name=ANBG/>

==Taxonomy==
[[File:Epacris impressa pink 6942.jpg|right|thumb|Erect habit, Belgrave South, Victoria]]
The [[type specimen]] of common heath was collected in 1793 by French botanist [[Jacques Labillardière]] in [[Van Diemen's Land]] (now Tasmania) during a voyage with [[Antoine Bruni d'Entrecasteaux]]. Labillardière [[species description|described]] it in his 1805 work ''[[Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen]]'', giving it its current name ''Epacris impressa''.<ref name=APNI23686>{{APNI | name = ''Epacris impressa'' Labill.  | id =23686}}</ref> The Latin [[specific name (botany)|specific epithet]] ''impressa'' (meaning "impressed" or "indented") alludes to the indentations on the floral tube.<ref Name=ANPSA>{{cite web|title=''Epacris impressa''|publisher=Australian Native Plants Society (Australia)|url=http://anpsa.org.au/e-imp.html|access-date=22 April 2010}}</ref> The original mounted specimen is currently held at the [[National Herbarium of Victoria]] at the [[Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne]].<ref Name=ABC>{{cite web|title=Floral Emblem ''Epacris impressa''|work=Gardening Australia|publisher=ABC|url=http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s360511.htm|access-date=22 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080629042618/http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s360511.htm|archive-date=2008-06-29|url-status=dead}}</ref>

A number of specimens once described as separate species are now regarded as ''Epacris impressa'', with no recognised subspecies.<ref name=APNI23686/> Scottish botanist [[Robert Brown (Scottish botanist from Montrose)|Robert Brown]] described ''Epacris ruscifolia'' in his 1810 work ''[[Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen]]'' alongside ''E. impressa''.<ref name="R.Br. 1810">{{cite book | author = Brown, Robert | year = 1810 | title = Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen |pages = 406–08 | location = London, United Kingdom | publisher = Richard Taylor and Company | author-link = Robert Brown (Scottish botanist from Montrose) | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2938981}}</ref><ref name=APNI25612>{{APNI | name = ''Epacris ruscifolia'' R.Br.  | id =25612|access-date=5 June 2014}}</ref> [[John Lindley]] described ''Epacris tomentosa'' from plant specimens collected during the third expedition of [[Thomas Mitchell (explorer)|Thomas Mitchell]] in 1838. Upon encountering ''Epacris impressa'' on [[Mount William (Mount Duwil)|Mount William]] in the Grampians, Mitchell remarked that it was "A most beautiful downy-leaved Epacris with large, curved, purple flowers, allied to ''[[Epacris longiflora|E. grandiflora]]''{{refn|Mitchell here makes a comparison to ''Epacris grandiflora'' Willd., a synonym of ''[[Epacris longiflora]]'', not to be confused with ''Epacris impressa'' var. ''grandiflora'' Benth.|group="nb"}} but much handsomer".<ref>{{cite book| author=Lindley, John|editor=Mitchell, Thomas L. |year=1839 |title= Three Expeditions into the interior of Eastern Australia |publisher=T. & W. Boone|volume= 2 |page=177|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vqBaDgiAIDAC&pg=PA177}}</ref> Dr [[Robert Graham (botanist)|Robert Graham]] described ''Epacris ceriflora'' (which he spelt ''ceraeflora'') from plants cultivated at the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens in 1832. The seed had come from Tasmania, the resulting progeny flowering over April and May 1832.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Graham|first=Robert|date=1832|title=Dr Graham's Description of New or Rare Plants |journal=Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal|volume=13|pages=167–73 [168]|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/25429056}}</ref>  A year later, he described ''E. nivalis'', which he called an "exceedingly beautiful species", from specimens growing in [[Loddiges]] nursery. He also noted a form with long corollas that had been called  ''E. variabilis'' that was in cultivation at the time, and noted it was difficult to describe the precise characteristics that distinguished ''E. ceraeflora'', ''E. nivalis'', ''E. variabilis'' and ''E. impressa''.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Graham|first=Robert|date=1833|title=Dr Graham's Description of New or Rare Plants |journal=Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal|volume=15|pages=181–84 [183]|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2498656}}</ref>

In his landmark ''[[Flora Australiensis]]'' (1869), [[George Bentham]] argued that several previously described species were in fact a single species – ''E. impressa'',<ref name="Bentham 1869">{{cite encyclopedia | author = Bentham, George | year = 1869 | title = ''Epacris impressa'' | encyclopedia = [[Wikisource:Flora Australiensis|Flora Australiensis]] | volume = 4: Stylidiaeeae to Pedalineae | pages = 235 | location = London, United Kingdom | publisher = L. Reeve & Co. | author-link = George Bentham| url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/11266456 }}</ref> uniting ''E. variabilis'', a short red-flowered ''E. campanulata'', ''E. ruscifolia'', which had narrow leaves and long flowers, the white-flowered ''E. nivalis'', and short white-flowered ''E. ceraeflora''. He re-classified as a separate species – ''[[Epacris reclinata|E. reclinata]]'' – several plants that [[Allan Cunningham (botanist)|Allan Cunningham]] had collected in the [[Blue Mountains (New South Wales)|Blue Mountains]] and classified as ''E. impressa''.<ref name="Bentham 1869"/>

In the same work,  Bentham named and described two naturally occurring varieties, ''Epacris impressa'' var. ''grandiflora'' and ''E. impressa'' var. ''ovata''.<ref name=StaceI/> Plant specimens designated as ''grandiflora'' had been collected in the [[Wimmera]], the [[Grampians National Park|Grampians]] (including those previously designated as ''E. tomentosa'') and at [[Stawell, Victoria|Stawell]] in Victoria. Those classified as ''ovata'' were collected at [[Twofold Bay]] and [[Mount Imlay]] in southeastern New South Wales as well as [[Cape Grim|Woolnorth]] and [[Rocky Cape National Park|Rocky Cape]] in northern Tasmania.<ref name=APNI23924/><ref name=APNI24101>{{APNI|name=''Epacris impressa'' var. ''ovata'' Benth.|id=24101|access-date=6 June 2014}}</ref> Bentham noted that, although variable, all forms had "five impressed cavities outside, alternating with the stamens immediately above the ovary."<ref name="Bentham 1869"/>

In his 1972 publication ''A Handbook to Plants in Victoria'', Australian botanist [[James Hamlyn Willis|Jim Willis]] expressed his view that dividing the species into subspecies was not feasible given that common heath is highly variable in flower colour and leaf shape, though he conceded the Grampians race ''grandiflora'' might be distinctive based on its larger [[Catacorolla|corolla]]s and coarser and hairier foliage.<ref name=StaceI/> Currently, both ''grandiflora'' and ''ovata'' are regarded as synonyms of ''Epacris impressa'' rather than being classified as distinct varieties.<ref name=APNI23924/><ref name=APNI24101/> The plant populations that best fit Bentham's original description of ''grandiflora'', also known as Grampians heath, occur naturally on [[sandstone]] at locations including Mount Zero, Mount Stapylton and the [[Black Range State Park|Black Range]].<ref name="Cochrane 1980"/><ref name=RBG/> Other nearby populations are regarded as having intermediate characteristics, including those in the Victoria Range and [[Mount Arapiles]].<ref name=RBG>{{cite web|title=''Epacris impressa''|work=Flora of Victoria Knowledge Base|publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne|url=http://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/dbpages/dev/vicflora/index.php/viclist/name/835|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606224112/http://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/dbpages/dev/vicflora/index.php/viclist/name/835|archive-date=2014-06-06|access-date=6 June 2014}}</ref> Although not recognised in the [[Australian Plant Census]], the variety is noted as "rare" on the list of ''Advisory List of Rare or Threatened Plants in Victoria'' issued by the [[Department of Environment and Primary Industries]].<ref name=APNI23924/><ref name=DEPI>{{cite web|title=Threatened species advisory lists|publisher=Department of Environment and Primary Industries|url=http://www.depi.vic.gov.au/environment-and-wildlife/threatened-species-and-communities/threatened-species-advisory-lists|access-date=10 June 2014|archive-date=11 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311150608/http://www.depi.vic.gov.au/environment-and-wildlife/threatened-species-and-communities/threatened-species-advisory-lists|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Variation in flower colour and length===
{{Multiple image
| align     = right
| direction = vertical
| header    = Forms of ''E. impressa''
| width     =
| image1    = Epacris impressa white 3984.jpg
| alt1      = white-flowered shrub
| caption1  = White-flowering form, southern Victoria
| image2    = Common Heath.jpg
| alt2      = pink-flowered shrub
| caption2  = Pink-flowering form, Tasmania
| image3    = Epacris impressa red 5755.jpg
| alt3      = red-flowered shrub
| caption3  = Scarlet-flowering form, Wilsons Promontory
}}

In 1977 Helen Stace and Yvonne Fripp from [[La Trobe University]] studied 195 populations of ''Epacris impressa'' in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania and found that 120 consisted of mixed stands of two or more [[Race (biology)|races]] while 75 populations were of one race only. They identified four races based on the following corolla characteristics:<ref name=StaceI/>

*white-flowered with a markedly shortened corolla that is {{convert|9-12|mm|in|frac=8|abbr=on}} long and red-purple anthers,<ref name=StaceI/> usually found in sites with greater sun exposure.<ref name=StaceII/> Occurring throughout the species range,<ref name=StaceI/> this form is the most widely distributed.<ref name=StaceII/> 
*pink-flowered, with a longer corolla that is {{convert|12-19|mm|in|frac=8|abbr=on}} long and cream-white anthers, in more shaded sites.<ref name=StaceII/> This form occurs throughout the species range.<ref name=StaceI/> Field work in Victoria and Tasmania found that pink-flowered plants in mixed populations often have pink or red anthers.<ref name=StaceIII>{{cite journal |last1=Stace |first1=Helen M. |last2=Fripp |first2=Yvonne J. |year=1977 |title=Raciation in ''Epacris impressa''. III.Polymorphic Populations  |journal= [[Australian Journal of Botany]]|volume=25 |pages= 325–36|doi= 10.1071/BT9770325 }}</ref>
*long scarlet race, with orange-red flowers and corolla {{convert|15-19|mm|in|frac=8|abbr=on}} long and cream-white anthers. Those from the granitic mountains of [[Wilsons Promontory]] and near [[W Tree, Victoria|W Tree]] in East Gippsland in Victoria flower between April and November. Other localities where this race has been recorded include the Howe Ranges and [[Clyde Mountain]] in New South Wales.<ref name=StaceI/>
*broad pink or white, the ''grandiflora'' race from the [[Grampians National Park|Grampians]] and [[Mount Arapiles]] in Victoria. Plants of this race are taller, often reaching {{convert|2|m|ftin}} in height. White or pink colour bear no relation to corolla length. Plants from Mount Arapiles are always pink-flowered.<ref name=StaceI/>
 
The long-pink and short-white races frequently occur in close proximity to each other; in these mixed populations the former tends to flower in winter and the latter in spring.<ref name=StaceI>{{cite journal |last1=Stace |first1=Helen M. |last2=Fripp |first2=Yvonne J. |year=1977 |title=Raciation in ''Epacris impressa''. I. Corolla Colour and Corolla Length.  |journal= [[Australian Journal of Botany]]|volume=25 |issue= 3|pages= 299–314|doi= 10.1071/BT9770299}}</ref><ref name=StaceII>{{cite journal |last1=Stace |first1=Helen M. |last2=Fripp |first2=Yvonne J. |year=1977 |title=Raciation in ''Epacris impressa''. II. Habitat Differences and Flowering Times.  |journal= Australian Journal of Botany|volume=25 |issue= 3|pages= 315–23|doi= 10.1071/BT9770315}}</ref> The question has been raised whether these different forms are becoming incompatible. However, controlled cross-pollination between plants with short and long corollas showed that there was no incompatibility between them.<ref name=Obrien89>{{cite journal | title= The Breeding Biology of ''Epacris impressa''. Is This Species Heterostylous? |author1=O'Brien, Susan P. |author2=Calder, D.M. | journal= Australian Journal of Botany |volume=37|issue=1|pages=43–54 |year= 1989 |doi=10.1071/BT9890043}}</ref>

Pink-flowering populations have a relatively distinct [[genome|genetic makeup]], whereas red or white flowering populations have more evident sharing of genetic traits.<ref name=Conomikes>{{cite report|author=Conomikes, Melanie|title=''Epacris impressa'' Labil: Inoculation of cuttings with ericoid mycorrhizal fungus and DNA fingerprinting of floral races – Final Report to the Australian Flora Foundation|date=February 2008|url=http://www.aff.org.au/Conomikes_Epacris_final.pdf|access-date=22 April 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912184337/http://www.aff.org.au/Conomikes_Epacris_final.pdf|archive-date=12 September 2009}}</ref> Research based on [[DNA profiling]] has revealed substantial genetic diversity within and between flower colour races and site populations. This has implications for vegetation projects in that [[provenance]] material needs to be collected from a wide geographic area to maintain this diversity.<ref name=Conomikes2012>{{Cite journal | last1= Conomikes | first1= Melanie | last2= Moore | first2= Gregory M. | last3= McLean | first3= Cassandra | year= 2012 | title= Genetic Analysis Reveals a Wide Regional Provenance Distribution for ''Epacris impressa'' | journal= Muelleria | volume= 30 | issue= 2 | pages= 175–82 | doi= 10.5962/p.292247 | s2cid= 251006909 | url= http://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/documents/Muelleria_30%282%29%2C_Conomikes_High_Res.pdf | access-date= 1 June 2014}}</ref>

==Distribution==
''Epacris impressa'' is commonly found in coastal regions and nearby foothills, ranging from [[Kangaroo Island]] and the southern [[Mount Lofty Ranges]] in [[South Australia]] across southern Victoria, extending to the [[Grampians National Park|Grampians]] and the [[Little Desert]], and northwards to southern [[New South Wales]] as far as the [[Clyde River, New South Wales|Clyde River]] in the [[Budawang Range]].<ref name=eflorasa>{{cite web|title=''Epacris impressa'' |work=eflorasa|publisher= Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources|url=http://www.flora.sa.gov.au/cgi-bin/speciesfacts_display.cgi?form=speciesfacts&family=&genus=epacris&species=impressa&iname=&submit=Display|access-date=31 May 2014}}</ref><ref name=NSW/><ref Name=ANBG/> It is also widespread in [[Tasmania]].<ref name=key>{{cite web|title=''Epacris impressa''|work=Key to Tasmanian Vascular Plants|url=http://www.utas.edu.au/dicotkey/dicotkey/EPACRIDS/sEpacris_impressa.htm|publisher=University of Tasmania|access-date=31 May 2014}}</ref> Plants are recorded at altitudes up to {{convert|1,200|m|ft}} at Mount Stradbroke and Mount Tingaringy in [[East Gippsland]].<ref name="Cochrane 1980">{{cite book|author1=Cochrane, Gordon R. |author2=Fuhrer, Bruce A. |author3=Rotherdam, Edward M. |author4=Simmons, John |author5=Marion |author6=Willis, James H. | title=Flowers and Plants of Victoria and Tasmania |publisher=A.H. & A.W. Reed|location=Sydney, New South Wales | year=1980 | page=18|isbn=0-589-50256-5}}</ref> The species grows in widely diverse habitats including sand and clay heathland, herb-rich and heathy woodland, lowland and shrubby dry forests, riparian thickets, montane rocky shrubland and rocky outcrops.<ref name=EVC>{{cite web|title=EVC Benchmarks – East Gippsland Uplands|publisher=Department of Environment and Primary Industries|url=http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/conservation-and-environment/ecological-vegetation-class-evc-benchmarks-by-bioregion/evc-benchmarks-east-gippsland-uplands-bioregion|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714231658/http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/conservation-and-environment/ecological-vegetation-class-evc-benchmarks-by-bioregion/evc-benchmarks-east-gippsland-uplands-bioregion|archive-date=2014-07-14|access-date=7 June 2014}}</ref><ref name=WPB>{{cite web|title=Wilsons Promontory biogregion|work=EVC Bioregion Benchmark for Vegetation Quality Assessment|publisher=Department of Sustainability and Environment|url=http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/241955/WPro_EVCs_combined.pdf|access-date=13 June 2014}}</ref>

==Ecology==
[[File:Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris female.jpg|left|thumb|Eastern spinebill on ''Epacris impressa'',  [[Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens]]]]
[[Honeyeater]]s such as the [[eastern spinebill]] are attracted to the flowers. As the bird gathers the nectar, the pollen, which has fins, attaches itself to the feathers on the heads of the birds and is carried to other flowers, aiding [[cross pollination]].<ref Name=PV>{{cite web|title=Common (or Pink) Heath|work=Fact Files|publisher=Parks Victoria|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806124300/http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/education/factfiles/09.htm|archive-date= 6 August 2011 |url=http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/education/factfiles/09.htm}}</ref> A study in forests near [[Hobart]] in Tasmania found that the eastern spinebill arrived in the area at the same time the common heath was in flower in March, and left once flowering had finished. Other honeyeaters, such as the [[strong-billed honeyeater|strong-billed]], [[crescent honeyeater|crescent]] and [[yellow-throated honeyeater]]s, fed occasionally at common heath flowers.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Thomas |first=D.G. | year = 1980| title = Foraging of Honeyeaters in an Area of Tasmanian Sclerophyll Forest | journal = Emu | volume =80 | issue =2 | pages =55–58 | doi =10.1071/MU9800055 | url= http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/MU9800055.htm}}</ref> Field work in the [[Mount Lofty Ranges]] in South Australia recorded the [[white-plumed honeyeater|white-plumed]] and [[New Holland honeyeater]]s, as well as the crescent honeyeater and the eastern spinebill.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Paton, D.C. |author2=Ford, H.A. |title=Pollination by birds of native plants in South Australia|journal = Emu |year=1977 | volume =77|issue=2| pages= 73–85 |doi=10.1071/MU9770073}}</ref>

Insects recorded visiting white-flowered plants include the [[Australian painted lady]] (''Vanessa kershawi'') and [[yellow admiral]] (''V. itea''), as well as bees.<ref name=StaceII/> Field work in southern Tasmania showed that the introduced bumblebee (''[[Bombus terrestris]]'') sometimes robbed nectar by piercing the base of the tube. This then allowed honeybees (''[[Western honey bee|Apis mellifera]]'') to retrieve nectar the same way.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Hingston, Andrew B. |author2=McQuillan, Peter B |title= Nectar Robbing in ''Epacris impressa'' (Epacridaceae) by the Recently Introduced Bumblebee ''Bombus terrestris'' (Apidae) in Tasmania |journal= Victorian Naturalist |volume= 115 |issue= 4|pages= 116–19 |issn= 0042-5184 |year=1998}}</ref> ''Epacris impressa'' is host to the [[scale insect]] ''[[Lecanodiaspis microcribraria]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ben Dov|first=Yair|title=A Systematic Catalogue of Eight Scale Insect Families (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) of the World: Aclerdidae, Asterolecaniidae, Beesoniidae, Carayonemidae, Conchaspididae, Dactylopiidae, Kerriidae and Lecanodiaspididae|publisher=Elsevier|date=2006|page=335|isbn=0-08-046531-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O2A8xdNN3BUC&pg=PA335}}</ref>

A field study of the invasion of the pathogen ''[[Phytophthora cinnamomi]]'' into the [[Brisbane Ranges National Park]] in Victoria in 1971 indicated that ''Epacris impressa'' was moderately susceptible to the pathogen.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Weste, Gretna |author2=Taylor, P. |title= The Invasion of Native Forest by ''Phytophthora cinnamomi''. I. Brisbane Ranges, Victoria | journal=Australian Journal of Botany |volume=19|issue=3|pages=281–94 |year=1971|doi=10.1071/BT9710281}}</ref> Inoculation of seedlings confirmed this.<ref>{{cite journal | title=''Phytophthora cinnamomi'' in the Common Heath, ''Epacris impressa'' |  journal =Australasian Plant Pathology |year= 1996 |volume = 25 |issue=2 |page = 141 |author1=Shanahan, Kylie |author2=Weste, Gretna |author3=Guest, David | doi=10.1071/AP96023| s2cid =26679825 }}</ref> Fieldwork in the Brisbane Ranges National Park in 1985 showed that there was some evidence that ''E. impressa'' seedlings were able to recolonise areas that had been infested with ''P. cinnamomi'' a decade before.<ref>{{cite journal | title=Vegetation Changes Associated With Invasion by Phytophthora cinnamomi of Defined Plots in the Brisbane Ranges, Victoria, 1975–1985 |author= Weste, Gretna | journal= Australian Journal of Botany |volume = 34 |issue= 6 |pages= 633–48 |year=1986 |doi=10.1071/BT9860633}}</ref>

''Epacris impressa'' regenerates after [[Bushfires in Australia|bushfire]] by seed and [[Resprouter|resprouting]].<ref name=Wark-White-et-al.-1987>{{Cite journal | last1= Wark | first1= Margaret C. | last2= White | first2= Mary D. | last3= Robertson | first3= David J. | last4= Marriott | first4= Philip F. | year= 1987 | title= Regeneration of Heath and Heath Woodland in the North-eastern Otway Ranges following the Wildfire of February 1983 | journal= Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria| volume= 99 | issue= 2 | pages= 51–88| url= http://cedric.slv.vic.gov.au/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=2453893&custom_att_2=direct | access-date= 7 Aug 2014}}</ref><ref name=Molnar-Fletcher-Parsons-1989>{{Cite journal | last1= Molnar | first1= Cathy D. | last2= Fletcher | first2= Daintree | last3= Parsons | first3= Robert F. | year= 1989 | title= Relationships between heath and ''Leptospermum laevigatum'' scrub at Sandringham, Victoria | journal= Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria | volume= 101 | pages= 77–87 | url= http://cedric.slv.vic.gov.au/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=2540571&custom_att_2=direct | access-date=  7 Aug 2014 }}</ref> Fieldwork in heathland in the [[Otway Ranges]] in the years following the 1983 [[Ash Wednesday bushfires]] showed that large numbers of ''E. impressa'' seedlings appeared in some areas, and that flowering took place as early as the second year after the fire.<ref name=Wark-White-et-al.-1987/>

The roots of ''Epacris impressa'' are colonized by fungi forming [[ericoid mycorrhiza]]. It is believed that the fungal species vary between regions.<ref name="McLean & Lawrie 1996">{{cite journal|author1=McLean, C. |author2=Lawrie, A.C. |title=Patterns of Root Colonization in Epacridaceous Plants Collected from Different Sites|journal=Annals of Botany|year=1996|volume=77|issue=4|pages=405–412 |doi=10.1006/anbo.1996.0049|doi-access=free}}</ref>

==Cultivation==
[[File:Epacris impressa - Paxton.jpg|thumb|An illustration from ''Paxton's Magazine of Botany'', published in 1836<ref name="Paxton 1836"/>]]
Propagated from seed collected by [[William Baxter (botanist)|William Baxter]] in southern Australia, common heath was introduced into cultivation in England by the [[Clapton Nursery]] in 1825.<ref name="Paxton 1836">{{cite book|author= Joseph Paxton|title=Paxton's Magazine of Botany, and Register of Flowering Plants|volume=1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6C8FAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA97|year=1836|publisher=Orr and Smith|page=97}}</ref> Due to its frost-tenderness, it was mostly restricted to [[greenhouse]] cultivation.<ref name=ANBG/> In 1873, a variety known as ''Epacris impressa alba'' was recorded as being grown commercially for [[cut flowers]] in Boston in the United States.<ref name=Harding>{{cite journal|author=Harding, W.T. |title=Observations and Recollections of New Holland|journal=The Gardener's Monthly and Horticultural Advertiser|volume=15|year=1873|pages=173–175|publisher=Charles Marot|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5SwCAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA173}}</ref> While initially popular – over seventy cultivars appeared in the literature at the time – most have since disappeared.<ref name=EJ84>{{cite book |author1=Elliot Rodger W. |author2=Jones, David L. |author3=Blake, Trevor |title=Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants Suitable for Cultivation:Volume 3 – Ce-Er|year=1984|pages=412–20|publisher=Lothian Press |location=Port Melbourne |isbn=0-85091-167-2}}</ref>

Plants grow best in a moist but well-drained, acidic soil,<ref Name=ANBG/> with added [[peat]] being helpful.<ref name="Marriott88">{{cite journal|last=Marriott|first=Neil|date=1988|title=Epacris impressa|journal=Australian Plants|volume=14|issue=115|page=293}}</ref> They may be grown in coastal gardens in a sheltered position,<ref name=Greig>{{cite book|author=Greig, Denise | title=The Australian Gardener's Wildflower Catalogue| page=152 | publisher=Angus & Robertson|location= Australia | year=1987 | isbn=0-207-15460-0}}</ref> and generally require some degree of shade. Once established, plants can tolerate short dry spells.<ref name=EJ84/> As they age, plants may become straggly, but benefit from hard [[pruning]] after fertilizing and watering, which promotes compact, bushier growth. Common heath can be short-lived and difficult to [[transplanting|transplant]],<ref name="Marriott88"/><!-- cites previous two sentences --> though it can be readily grown as a pot plant.<ref name=EJ84/> Along with other members of the genus, ''Epacris impressa'' initially proved difficult to grow and maintain on original soil in the [[Australian National Botanic Gardens]] in Canberra.<ref name="Butler84">{{cite journal|last=Butler|first=Geoff|date=1984|title=National Botanic Gardens Rockery|journal=Australian Plants|volume=12|issue=99 |pages=315–19}}</ref>

[[Plant propagation|Propagation]] both by seed and cuttings is difficult, reducing potential production by plant nurseries. Germination rates of [[soil seed bank|soil-stored seeds]] have been found to increase substantially with the application of heat and aqueous solutions of smoke.<ref name="Enright 2001">{{Cite journal | last1= Enright | first1= Neal J. | last2= Kintrup | first2= A. | title= Effects of smoke, heat and charred wood on the germination of dormant soil-stored seeds from a ''Eucalyptus baxteri'' heathy-woodland in Victoria, SE Australia | journal= Austral Ecology | year= 2001 | volume= 26 | issue= 2 | pages= 132–41 | doi= 10.1046/j.1442-9993.2001.01096.x }}</ref> The most satisfactory results from cuttings can be achieved by using tip growth, taken six weeks after the cessation of flowering, and kept under a fogging system for twenty weeks.<ref name=Conomikes/> Plantsman Neil Marriott recommends semi-hardened cutting material taken in spring and autumn.<ref name="Marriott88"/> Roots of cuttings are brittle and easily damaged.<ref name="Marriott88"/>

===Cultivars===
The following forms have been selected and grown for cultivation:

;'Bega'
This is a form from [[Bega, New South Wales|Bega]] in southern New South Wales that has bright red flowers and grows to {{convert|60|cm|ft|abbr=on}} high. It is regarded as one of the more reliable forms in cultivation.<ref name=ANPSA/><ref name=austraflora/> White- and pink-flowered forms from the same region also have horticultural potential.<ref name="walters88">{{cite journal|last=Walters|first=Brian|date=1988|title=East Coastal #7: Epacris|journal=Australian Plants|volume=14|issue=115|page=294}}</ref>

; 'Cranbourne Bells' and other double-flowered forms
[[File:Epacris impressa double pink 8525.jpg|Double-flowered pink form|thumb|left]]
'Cranbourne Bells' is a [[double-flowered]] form with pink flower buds fading to white as they open.<ref Name=ACRA1>{{cite web|title=''Epacris'' 'Cranbourne Bells'|work=Descriptions of Registered Cultivars|publisher=Australian Cultivar Registration Authority|url=http://www.anbg.gov.au/acra/descriptions/acc384.html|access-date=22 April 2010}}</ref> Registered by the [[Australian Cultivar Registration Authority]] in 1988, it occurred naturally near the [[Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne|Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne]] in Victoria, but its habitat has since been cleared.<ref Name=ACRA1/><ref name=SGAP>{{cite book| title=Flora of Melbourne|publisher= Society for Growing Australian Plants Maroondah, Inc. | year=1991 |location=Ringwood, Victoria|page=90| isbn=0-909830-42-8 }}</ref> A double-flowered form of ''Epacris impressa'' was collected as early as the 1860s in Victoria when Government Botanist [[Ferdinand von Mueller]] sent a specimen to [[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew|Kew Gardens]]. This was examined by botanist [[William Hemsley (botanist)|William Hemsley]] in 1865. The specimen, labelled as ''Epacris impressa'' var. ''pleniflora'', originated from [[Stawell, Victoria|Stawell]] in western Victoria.<ref name="B&F 1865B">{{cite journal|author=Masters, Maxwell T.|title=''Epacris impressa flore pleno''|journal=Journal of Botany, British and Foreign|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sT8-AAAAcAAJ&pg=PA193|volume=3|year=1865|publisher=Harwicke|page=193}}</ref><ref name="B&F 1865A">{{cite journal|author=Seeman, Berthold|title=''Epacris impressa'' Labill. fl. pleno|journal=Journal of Botany, British and Foreign|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sT8-AAAAcAAJ&pg=PA157|volume=3|year=1865|publisher=Harwicke|page=157}}</ref><ref name="B&F 1917">{{cite journal|author=Hemsley, William|title=Double-flowered Epacrises|journal=Journal of Botany, British and Foreign|volume=55|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/36197#page/177/mode/1up|year=1917|publisher=Harwicke|page=161}}</ref> Another specimen given the same name by Mueller was collected at [[Nunawading]], today a suburb of Melbourne.<ref name=Mueller>{{cite journal|author=Mueller, Ferdinand|title=Epacridaceae|journal=Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae|volume=8|year=1872–74|pages=51–56|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/7225#page/52/mode/1up}}</ref> [[Charles French (entomologist)|Charles French]], co-founder of the [[Field Naturalists Club of Victoria]], collected a white double-flowered form from [[Cheltenham, Victoria|Cheltenham]] south of Melbourne in 1859 and a pink double-flowered form from [[Dromana, Victoria|Dromana]] on the Mornington Peninsula in about 1862. These were later sent as rooted cuttings to [[Veitch Nurseries]] in England.<ref name=French>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5938559 |author=French, Charles|title=Double Wild Flowers |newspaper=[[The Argus (Melbourne)|The Argus]] |location=Melbourne |date=24 September 1877 |access-date=8 June 2014 |page=7 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Double-flowered forms of various colours have since been found throughout Victoria, but only single plants have been observed in any location, and they are still regarded as a rarity.<ref name="Clifford 1949">{{cite journal|author=Clifford, H.T.|title=Notes on the Common Heath (''Epacris impressa'')|journal=The Victorian Naturalist|date=December 1949|volume=66|issue=9|pages=143–46|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ia/VictorianNatura66Fiel#page/152/mode/1up}}</ref> A naturally occurring form of the variety ''grandiflora'' with rosebud-like double flowers is also grown.<ref name=EJ84/><ref name=austraflora>{{cite book|author1=Molyneux, Bill |author2=Forrester, Sue |title=The Austraflora Handbook: a Guide to Selecting and Growing Australian Plants|year=1984|page=26|publisher=Austraflora Nurseries|location=Montrose, Victoria|isbn=0-9590474-0-9}}</ref>

;'Spring Pink'
A form with deep pink flowers on long spikes, 'Spring Pink' appears in spring. It grows to {{convert|60|cm|ft|abbr=on}} high.<ref name=austraflora/>

==Floral emblem of Victoria==
In 1951, at a meeting of representatives of government and other bodies, it was agreed that the pink form of the common heath, the "pink heath", be adopted as the official [[floral emblem]] for the state of Victoria.<ref Name=ANBG/> Victoria was the first Australian state to adopt a floral emblem.<ref Name=ANBG>{{cite web |last=Boden |first=Anne |title=Common Heath |work=Floral Emblems of Australia |publisher=Australian National Botanic Gardens and Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research |url=http://www.anbg.gov.au/emblems/vic.emblem.html |access-date=22 April 2010}}</ref> The proclamation, made on 11 November 1958 by the Governor, [[Dallas Brooks]], was as follows:

{{quote|I, the Governor of the State of Victoria, in the Commonwealth of Australia, by and with the advice of the Executive Council of the said State, do by this my Proclamation declare that the Pink Form of the Common Heath, ''Epacris impressa'' Labill., be adopted as the Floral Emblem for the State of Victoria"<ref name=gazette>{{Cite journal|author=Brooks, Dallas |title=Floral Emblem for the State of Victoria|journal=Victoria Government Gazette|date=12 November 1958|issue=98|page=3572|url=http://gazette.slv.vic.gov.au/view.cgi?year=1958&class=general&page_num=3571&state=V&classNum=G98|access-date=23 April 2010}}</ref>}}

An Australian stamp series of [[list of Australian floral emblems|state floral emblems]] was issued in 1968. The pink heath was featured on the 13 cent stamp.<ref name=ANBG/><ref name=ANPSA2>{{cite web |title=''Epacris impressa'' |work=Australian Plants on Postage Stamps |publisher=Australian National Botanic Gardens |url=http://www.anbg.gov.au/stamps/stamp.455.html |access-date=22 April 2010}}</ref> In 2014, a 70-cent stamp labelled as "Common Heath" was issued.<ref name=ANPSA2a>{{cite web |title=''Epacris impressa'' |work=Australian Plants on Postage Stamps |publisher=Australian National Botanic Gardens |url=http://www.anbg.gov.au/stamps/stamp-epacris-impressa-2014.html |access-date=29 May 2014}}</ref> The pink heath is also depicted on the [[Driving licence in Australia|Victorian driver's licence]].<ref name=Silkstone>{{cite news |title=Scientist warns on state emblem lost to freeway |last=Silkstone |first=Dan |url= http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/scientist-warns-on-state-emblem-lost-to-freeway/2005/07/31/1122748527229.html|work=The Age |date= 1 August 2005 |access-date=15 April 2012}}</ref> In 1973, a depiction of pink heath was added to the [[Coat of arms of Victoria (Australia)|armorial bearings for Victoria]].<ref name=parliament>{{cite web |title=Parliament of Victoria Crest |publisher=Parliament of Victoria |url=http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/about/the-parliamentary-system/symbols |access-date=1 June 2014}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Erica (plant)|''Erica'' – African–European heath spp.]]

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|group="nb"}}

==References==
{{Reflist | 27em }}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
{{Spoken Wikipedia|En-Epacris impressa-article.ogg|date=2020-07-27}}
{{AustralianFloralEmblems}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q2494794}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Epacris Impressa}}
[[Category:Epacris|impressa]]
[[Category:Ericales of Australia]]
[[Category:Flora of New South Wales]]
[[Category:Flora of South Australia]]
[[Category:Flora of Victoria (state)]]
[[Category:Flora of Tasmania]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1805]]
[[Category:Symbols of Victoria]]