British Plants and Flowers – Heather

Name – the botanic name for this underrated perennial evergreen plant is Calluna vulgaris, The generic name Calluna is derived from a Greek word meaning 'to sweep', as the plant was used to make brooms. The specific name vulgaris is derived from a Latin word for 'common'. but it is also commonly know as Ling, and yes, the girl’s name ‘Heather’ is directly derived from the plant.

Description – The flower has narrow purple or pink calyx-like lobes at the base of the true calyx. Tiny narrow leaves appear below the flowers in four closely-packed rows up the side-shoots.

Origin – This is a plant used to well-drained acidic soils in open sunny situations and in moderate shade. It is tolerant of moderate grazing and can regenerate from occasional burning, so good regular pruning will help it grow well, without it, heather becomes leggy and bare on the lower stems. It’s a popular ornamental plant in gardens and for landscaping and many specially bred cultivars have been created to offer variations in flower colour, ranging from white through pink and a wide range of purples, and including reds. The flowering season with different cultivars extends from late July to November in the northern hemisphere. The flowers may turn brown but still remain on the plants over winter, and this can lead to interesting effects with frost and snow. The plant has many uses, a tea is made from the flowering stems and a kind of mead was once brewed from the flowers. The young shoots have been used instead of hops to flavour beer but this is a carefully controlled process today because the undersides of the leaves can carry a lichen-like growth that gives hallucinations.

British plant heather photograph by narujen, used under a creative commons attribution licence

 

bluebell, comfrey, flax, foxglove, hawthorn, heartsease, heather, herb robert, holly, hollyhock, honeysuckle, hop, hornbeam, jacobs ladder, larkspur, oak, periwinkle, rowan, silver birch, snowdrop, tansy, vipers bugloss, wild strawberry, willow, yarrow

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