Species identification is fundamental to all aspects of biology and conservation. The process can be challenging, particularly in groups including many closely related or similar species. The problem is confounded by the absence of an up-to-date taxonomic revision, but even with such a resource all but professional botanists may struggle to recognise key species, presenting a substantial barrier to vital work such as surveys, threat assessments, and seed collection for ex situ conservation. Genus Erica: An Identification Aid is a tool to help both amateurs and professionals identify (using a limited number of accessible characteristics) and find information about the 851 species and many subspecific taxa of the genus Erica. We present an updated version 4.00, with new features including integrating distribution data from GBIF and iNaturalist, links to taxonomic resources through World Flora Online, and a probability function for identifications, that is freely available for PCs. It remains a work in progress: We discuss routes forward for collaboratively improving this resource.
", "publication_date": "2024-04-24", "publisher": "Pensoft Publishers", "references": [ { "reference": "Andrews HC (1802) v.1 (1802) Coloured engravings of heaths v.1 (1802). Published by the Author. Printed by T. Bensley, London, 314 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.51136" }, { "reference": "Andrews HC (1845) v.1 (1845) The heathery, or, A monograph of the genus Erica: containing coloured engravings, with Latin and English descriptions, dissections, etc. of all the known species of that extensive and distinguished tribe of plants. Second edition, corrected and enlarged. Henry G. Bohn, London, 226 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.158811" }, { "reference": "Baker HA, Oliver EGH (1967) Ericas in Southern Africa. With Paintings. Purnell, Cape Town." }, { "reference": "Beentje HJ (2006) Ericaceae. In: Beentje HJ, Ghazanfar SA (Eds) Flora of Tropical East Africa. 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Contributions from the Bolus Herbarium 19. https://cir.nii.ac.jp/crid/1130000797020478848" }, { "reference": "Oliver EGH, Forshaw N (2012) Genus Erica An Identification Aid Version 3.00. Contributions from the Bolus Herbarium 23. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10362291" }, { "reference": "Oliver EGH, Oliver IM (2000a) Ericaceae. In: Seed plants of southern Africa: families and genera. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, 246\u2013248." }, { "reference": "Oliver I, Oliver EGH (2000b) Field guide to Ericas of the Cape Peninsula. In: Rebelo T, Ross P (Eds) Protea Atlas Project. National Botanical Institute, Cape Town." }, { "reference": "Oliver EGH, Oliver IM (2002) The genus Erica (Ericaceae) in southern Africa: Taxonomic notes 1. Bothalia 32(1): 37\u201361. https://doi.org/10.4102/abc.v32i1.461" }, { "reference": "Oliver EGH, Oliver IM (2003) Ericaceae. In: Germishuizen G, Meyer NL (Eds) Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 19. 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ARPHA Preprints 5: e124629. https://doi.org/10.3897/arphapreprints.e124629" }, { "reference": "Pirie MD, Blackhall-Miles R, Bourke G, Crowley D, Ebrahim I, Forest F, Knaack M, Koopman R, Lansdowne A, N\u00fcrk NM, Osborne J, Pearce TR, Rohrauer D, Smit M, Wilman V (2022) Preventing species extinctions: A global conservation consortium for Erica. Plants, People, Planet 4(4): 335\u2013344. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10266" }, { "reference": "Raimondo D, Van Staden L, Foden W, Victor JE, Helme NA, Turner RC, Kamundi DA, Manyama PA (2009) Strelitzia No. 25 Red list of South African plants 2009. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, [ix +] 668 pp. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12143/260" }, { "reference": "Renner SS (2016) A Return to Linnaeus's Focus on Diagnosis, Not Description: The Use of DNA Characters in the Formal Naming of Species. Systematic Biology 65(6): 1085\u20131095. https://doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/syw032" }, { "reference": "Schumann D, Kirsten G, Oliver EGH (1992) Ericas of South Africa. Fernwood Press, Vlaeberg, South Africa, 272 pp." }, { "reference": "Volk FW, Forshaw N, Schumann D, Oliver EGH, Oliver IM (2005) Genus Erica Interactive Identification Key V.2.00. Contributions from the Bolus Herbarium 22. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10362198" }, { "reference": "WFO (2023) Erica L. http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-4000013772" } ], "related_identifiers": [ { "identifier": "10.3897/phytokeys.241.117604.figure2", "relation_type": { "id": "haspart", "title": { "de": "Umfasst folgenden Teil", "en": "Has part" } }, "resource_type": { "id": "image-figure", "title": { "de": "Abbildung", "en": "Figure" } }, "scheme": "doi" }, { "identifier": "10.3897/phytokeys.241.117604.figure1", "relation_type": { "id": "haspart", "title": { "de": "Umfasst folgenden Teil", "en": "Has part" } }, "resource_type": { "id": "image-figure", "title": { "de": "Abbildung", "en": "Figure" } }, "scheme": "doi" }, { "identifier": "10.3897/phytokeys.241.117604.figure3", "relation_type": { "id": "haspart", "title": { "de": "Umfasst folgenden Teil", "en": "Has part" } }, "resource_type": { "id": "image-figure", "title": { "de": "Abbildung", "en": "Figure" } }, "scheme": 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"rights": [ { "description": { "en": "The Creative Commons Attribution license allows re-distribution and re-use of a licensed work on the condition that the creator is appropriately credited." }, "icon": "cc-by-icon", "id": "cc-by-4.0", "props": { "scheme": "spdx", "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode" }, "title": { "en": "Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International" } } ], "subjects": [ { "subject": "Biota" }, { "subject": "Animalia" }, { "subject": "Arthropoda" }, { "subject": "Arachnida" }, { "subject": "Araneae" }, { "subject": "Salticidae" }, { "subject": "Erica" }, { "subject": "Plantae" }, { "subject": "Tracheophyta" }, { "subject": "Magnoliopsida" }, { "subject": "Ericales" }, { "subject": "Ericaceae" }, { "subject": "Ericoideae" }, { "subject": "Ericaceae" }, { "subject": "GBIF" }, { "subject": "iNaturalist" }, { "subject": "species identification" }, { "subject": "World Flora Online" } ], "title": "Genus Erica: An identification aid version 4.00" 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The goal is to provide
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