On my heathland walk this morning I noticed flowers emerging on the heathers. I recognised the Bell heather – but couldn’t remember the proper names of the other one I saw.
So, here’s a quick and easy guide to the three main varieties of heather, along with photos, which I hope helps in recognition.
Bell heather – Erica cinera: Is abundant throughout Britain, thriving on the relatively dry, nutrient poor acidic soils of moors and heathland. It has small dark-purple-pink bell-shaped drooping flowers, which are borne in compact clusters at the ends of its shoots. Its leaves are short, dark green, and needle-like, and borne in whorls of three.
Heather, also known as Ling – Calluna vulgaris: Ling is the commonest of the several species of heather on acidic soils of heathland, and moors. The delicate pink-purple [mauve] flowers grow loosely up the stem. The short, narrow leaves are borne in rows. From my experience locally, it flowers a little later than Bell Heather or Ling.
Cross-leaved heath – Erica tetralix: Cross-leaved heath grows in damp and boggy heathland, whereas bell heather thrives in drier parts of the heathland. It’s petals are very pale pink and the grey-green leaves are in whorls of four.
Lightwater 