Erythrite from Morocco
April flowers? Erythrite from the Bou Azar District, Ouarzazate Province, Morocco, 4 x 3.2 cm. (Photo: Mia Dixon)
This aesthetic bouquet of erythrite crystals is from Morocco. The crystals are undamaged and sharp, with intense color. Great for any miniature collector!
While other examples of erythrite in the Pala International catalog are perched on matrix, this featured specimen seems to stand on its own. Its lovely crystals exhibit 'red' in all its hues.
Just as rhodochrosite takes its name from the Greek rhodokhrōs (rose-colored), erythrite is from the Greek eruthros/erythros (red). Its combining form erythr- is used in many a medical term, from erythrocyte (red blood cell) to systemic lupus erythematosis (the autoimmune syndrome sometimes characterized by a red butterfly-shaped rash thought to have resembled the bite of a wolf, lupus in Latin).
This specimen was featured in the April 2015 issue of our newsletter Pala Mineralis
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