Leaf
Liliane Roubaudi, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Heather
Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull
Also known as: Ling, Scots heather
Family: Ericaceae
20 to 60 cm tall
Heaths, open woodland on acid soil
Flowering: July – September
Full sun
Part shade
Very hardy, to -24°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Carpets the heaths in mauve in late summer — the latest flowering of our native shrubs. 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
Minute, overlapping scale-like leaves in four ranks
🌸 Flowers
Small pink-mauve bells in dense spikes
🍎 Fruits
Small dry capsules
🪵 Bark
Low, branching woody stems
🗺️ Distribution
Europe, acid heaths and peat bogs; very common on Atlantic and mountain heaths in France.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Late flowering (late summer to autumn), extremely rich in nectar, the basis of heather honey.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Ground cover in heather gardens and acid rock gardens, many ornamental cultivars.
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No known toxicity.
⚠️ Look-alike species
Heather
Calluna vulgaris
Bell heather
Erica cinerea
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.
🌿 Other Ericaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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