Brighter pink-purple flowering, and earlier, than heather, which it often accompanies on the heaths. Heather has overlapping scale-like leaves and flowers later, in late summer, whereas bell heather has needle-like leaves whorled in 3s and flowers from early summer.
🍃 Leaves
Very small, in whorls of 3 pressed closely around the twigs, giving the foliage a dense appearance.
🌸 Flowers
Small bright pink-purple bells, in dense racemes
🍎 Fruits
Small dry capsules
🪵 Bark
Much-branched woody subshrub with slender twigs.
🗺️ Distribution
Atlantic Europe; common on acid heaths in the west and the Massif Central.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Summer flowering rich in nectar, very attractive to bees and bumblebees.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Ground cover for heather gardens and acid rock gardens.
Heather has overlapping scale-like leaves and flowers later, in late summer, whereas bell heather has needle-like leaves whorled in 3s and flowers from early summer.
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.
