''Erica cabernetea'' is a plant species endemic to a small region in the

Western Cape Province The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabi ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. ''E. cabernetea'' is a small, highly branched shrub up to tall. Leaves are up to long, crescent-shaped in cross section. Flowers are borne in small racemes at the tips of each of the branches. Flowers are rounded, deep red, about 4 mm across. Fruit is a dry, egg-shaped capsule about 3 mm long.Oliver, Edward George Hudson. 1998. Three new species of ''Erica'' (Ericaceae) from South Africa. Novon 8:267-274.
/ref>photo of isotype of ''Erica cabernetea'' at Missouri Botanical Garden
/ref> The specific epithet "cabernetea" refers to

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebano ...

, a red wine with approximately the same color as the flowers of ''E. cabernetea''. It is known only from the Elgin Basin in the Caledon District, Arieskraal, slopes above the Klein

Palmiet River Palmiet River () is a river located in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The Palmiet River is a typical Western Cape river, experiencing winter rainfall and it is important for the Western Cape Water Supply System. It has a small catchme ...

at an elevation of approximately , about southeast of

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

. This site lies within the

Kogelberg Nature Reserve Kogelberg Nature Reserve is a nature reserve of comprising the Kogelberg Mountain Range, to the east of Cape Town, South Africa. With about 1600 plant species, it contains a floral diversity per unit area that is greater than anywhere else in t ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15378032 cabernetea Endemic flora of the Cape Provinces