About Styphelia ericoides Sm.
Styphelia ericoides Sm. is a slender shrub that typically grows between 0.3 and 2 meters (1 foot 0 inches to 6 feet 7 inches) tall, and its branchlets are covered in soft hairs. Its leaves are oblong, and sometimes elliptic, measuring 3 to 15 mm (0.12 to 0.59 in) long and 1.0 to 2.5 mm (0.039 to 0.098 in) wide. The leaves are sessile, with a dished upper surface that often has curved downward edges, and a small pointed tip up to 1 mm (0.039 in) long. Its flowers are white to pale pink, arranged on 1–3 mm (0.039–0.118 in) long peduncles in the upper leaf axils, forming a 3–9 mm (0.12–0.35 in) long spike. The flowers have egg-shaped bracteoles 1.0–1.5 mm (0.039–0.059 in) long, and egg-shaped sepals 1.4–2.1 mm (0.055–0.083 in) long. The petals are joined at the base to form a tube 1.5–2.2 mm (0.059–0.087 in) long, with 1.4–2.0 mm (0.055–0.079 in) long lobes that are softly hairy on the inside. Flowering occurs from July to October, and after flowering it produces an often curved oval drupe 2.4–5.7 mm (0.094–0.224 in) long. This species, commonly called pink beard-heath, is widespread and common in south-east Queensland, the coast, tablelands and slopes of eastern New South Wales, southern Victoria, the far south-east of South Australia and Tasmania, where it grows in heath, forest and woodland. In the Sydney region, S. ericoides grows in association with Sydney peppermint (Eucalyptus piperita), scribbly gum (Eucalyptus sclerophylla) and narrow-leaved apple (Angophora bakeri). Individual plants live between five and twenty years. They are killed by fire and regenerate from seed that remains dormant in the soil. Bees visit the flowers to collect their nectar.
