Bell heather or Erica multiflora: how to tell them apart?
Bell heather and Erica multiflora look alike and are often mixed up. Here is how to tell them apart, feature by feature, with their photos and the details to look for.
⚡ The quick answer
Bell heather
Erica cinerea
Erica multiflora
Bell heather has ovoid bell-shaped flowers grouped in short racemes and leaves whorled in 3s, whereas multiflora heath bears more numerous flowers in elongated racemes and finer leaves, whorled in 4s or 5s.
🍃 Leaves
Very small, in whorls of 3 pressed closely around the twigs, giving the foliage a dense appearance.
Evergreen, fine needles in whorls, dark green
🌸 Flowers
Small bright pink-purple bells, in dense racemes
Numerous small bright pink bells covering the twigs
🍎 Fruits
Small dry capsules
Small dry capsules
🪵 Bark
Much-branched woody subshrub with slender twigs.
Slender reddish-brown twigs, dense bushy habit
📏 Size
20 to 50 cm tall
30 cm to 1 m tall
🗺️ Habitat
Dry heaths on acid soil
Garrigue, dry gardens, acid to neutral soils
⚠️ Toxicity
No known toxicity.
No known toxicity.
🔎 And from the Erica multiflora side
Bell heather has ovoid bell-shaped flowers grouped in short racemes and leaves whorled in 3s, whereas multiflora heath bears more numerous flowers in elongated racemes and finer leaves, whorled in 4s or 5s.
🌿 Go further
Want to practise spotting these details on real photos? Floraneo offers profiles and quizzes for dozens of look-alike species.
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.