From Greek epi = on and akris = hilltop and refers to the habitat of several species.

Heaths.

Epacris longiflora Cav. (typ. cons.)

Prostrate, spreading to erect shrub up to 5 m tall. Mostly multi-stemmed at ground level. Branches spreading and sparingly branched to erect and many-branched. Branchlets erect, pubescent occasionally glabrous. Leaf scar raised and crescent-shaped to circular. Leaves at upper parts of branches or spreading along branches, erect to recurved occasionally imbricate; petiole glabrous to pubescent; lamina apex obtuse to acuminate and pungent, straight, incurved or recurved; base cuneate to cordate occasionally auriculate or sagittate; thinly textured, coriaceous to rigid and hard, occasionally thickened, lamina shape and size often variable in individual plants of the same species, flat but concave at base, discolorous; glabrous or with sparse hairs near petiole, venation not evident; abaxial surface with midrib usually conspicuous and often keeled, other veins conspicuous to various degrees; margins entire, serrulate or scabrous, rarely ciliate. Inflorescence a solitary axillary flower, flowers usually confined to clusters in the upper leaf axils, or may extend to varying lengths down the branches in leafy spike-like arrangements. Pedicels mostly short, rarely equals or longer than flower, glabrous or pubescent.  Flower bracts persistent, spreading to imbricate, lanceolate to ovate, glabrous or various, margins ciliolate, apex acute. Bracteoles persistent, white to pink, tightly imbricate, triangular to broadly ovate, glabrous to variously pubescent, margins entire to ciliate, apex obtuse to acuminate. Sepals linear-lanceolate to ovate, usually glabrous, occasionally pubescent, margins mostly ciliolate. Corolla tube cylindrical to campanulate, mostly white, shorter to longer than the sepals, glabrous, sometimes with sparse hairs on the inside. Corolla lobes shorter or longer than corolla tube, spreading to recurved, narrowly ovate to triangular, glabrous, apices obtuse to acuminate. Stamens inserted at the top of the corolla tube or rarely hypogynous. Anthers included, with the top half exserted or fully exserted, erect or reflexed after dehiscence, glabrous or papillose. Filaments are terete to flattened, glabrous, straight or curved. Ovary green, pink or purple, glabrous or pubescent, apex round to truncate. Style with basal or medial swellings, glabrous, rarely pubescent. Stigma small, capitate or clavate. Nectary scales rectangular to transversely oblong, apices acute to truncate or irregularly toothed, rarely lacking. Fruit a woody, loculicidal capsule, shorter to longer than the calyx, glabrous or pubescent, apex round to truncate. Seed brown, ovoid rarely ellipsoid, testa variously reticulated.

Flowering throughout the year with a peak during Sept. to Feb.

Native.

A genus of 57 species, four with recognised sub-species. In eastern Australia  (52 endemics), New Zealand (3 spp., 2 endemic) and New Caledonia (1 spp.,). Tasmania is a major centre of diversity of the genus with 28 species of which 22 are endemic. 

Mostly in open vegetation, sometimes growing on cliffs.

Most species have generalist pollination but a number of species with long-tubed pink to red flowers are commonly visited by birds.

.Voss, E.G. (1983), International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, Sydney, 1981. Regnum Vegetabile 111: 392. Lectotype: Epacris longiflora Cav. (typ. cons.).

Albrecht, D.E. in Walsh, N.G. & Entwisle, T.J. (ed.) (1996). Epacridaceae. Flora of Victoria 3: 468–469. 

Bailey, F.M. (1913). Comprehensive Catalogue of Queensland Plants: 296.

Beadle, N.C.W., Evans, O.D. & Carolin, R.C. (1962). Handbook of the Vascular Plants of the Sydney District and Blue Mountains: 341.

Black, J.M. (1926). Meliaceae - Scrophulariaceae. Flora of South Australia 3: 451.

Black, J.M. (1952). Flora of South Australia Edn. 2, 3: 675.

Burbidge, N.T. & Gray, M. (1970). Flora of the Australian Capital Territory: 298–300.

Cavanilles, A.J. (1797). Icones et Descriptiones Plantarum 4(1): 25, t.344.

Costin, A.B., Gray, M., Totterdell, C.J. & Wimbush, D.J. (1979).Kosciusko Alpine Flora Edn. 1: 209.

Curtis, W.M. (1963), Angiospermae: Lythraceae to Epacridaceae. The Student's Flora of Tasmania 2: 443–446.

Jacobs, S.W.L. & Pickard, J. (1981). Plants of New South Wales: 112.

Powell, J.M. in Harden, G.J. (ed.) (1992), Epacridaceae p.p. Flora of New South Wales 3: 404–405. 

Quinn, C.J., Crowden, R.K., Brown, E.A., Southam, M.J., Thornhill, A.H. & Crayn, D.M. (2015), A reappraisal of the generic concepts of Epacris, Rupicola and Budawangia (Ericaceae, Epacridoideae, Epacrideae) based on phylogenetic analysis of morphological and molecular data. Australian Systematic Botany 28:     72.

Ross, E.M. in Stanley, T.D. & Ross, E.M. (1986), Epacridaceae. Flora of South-eastern Queensland 2: 263.