We present an extensive set of optical spectroscopy of the nearby type Ia supernova , SN 2002er , with 24 epochs spanning - 11 to +34 days .
Its spectral evolution is fairly typical of a type Ia supernova although it suffers high extinction .
Nevertheless , there are differences in the spectral evolution when compared to coeval spectra of other normal type Ia supernova with comparable decline-rate parameters .
Modelling of the photospheric phase spectra using a homogeneous abundance distribution in the atmosphere provides a fair match to the observations , but only by pushing the adopted distance and risetime close to the observational limits .
Future improvements here will require models with a more realtistic stratified abundance distribution .
From simple modelling of a nebular spectrum obtained at +215 d , we infer a ^ { 56 } Ni mass of 0.69M _ { \odot } , consistent with that derived from the light curve .