''Calluna vulgaris'', common heather, ling, or simply heather, is the sole species in the
genus ''Calluna'' in the
flowering plant family
Ericaceae. It is a low-growing
evergreen shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found widely in Europe and Asia Minor on
acidic soils in open sunny situations and in moderate shade. It is the dominant plant in most
heathland and
moorland in Europe, and in some
bog vegetation and acidic
pine and
oak woodland. It is tolerant of grazing and regenerates following occasional burning, and is often managed in nature reserves and grouse
moors by sheep or cattle grazing, and also by light burning.
''Calluna'' was separated from the closely related genus ''Erica'' by
Richard Anthony Salisbury, who devised the generic name ''Calluna'' probably from the
Greek ''Kallyno (καλλύνω)'', "beautify, sweep clean", in reference to its traditional use in
besoms. The specific
epithet ''vulgaris'' is
Latin for 'common'. ''Calluna'' is differentiated from ''Erica'' by its
corolla and
calyx each being in four parts instead of five.
Description
''Calluna'' has small scale-leaves (less than 2–3 mm long) borne in opposite and
decussate pairs, whereas those of ''Erica'' are generally larger and in whorls of 3–4, sometimes 5.
[Clive Stace, (2010) ''New Flora of the British Isles'', 3rd edition. Cambridge University Press.] It flowers from July to September.
In wild plants these are normally mauve, but white-
flowered plants also occur occasionally. They are terminal in racemes with sepal-like bracts at the base with a superior ovary, the fruit a capsule. Unlike ''Erica'', ''Calluna'' sometimes sports double flowers. ''Calluna'' is sometimes referred to as Summer (or Autumn) heather to distinguish it from winter or spring flowering species of ''Erica''.
Distribution
''Calluna vulgaris'' is extremely cold-
hardy, surviving severe exposure and freezing conditions well below . It is native to
Europe,
Iceland, the
Faroe Islands, and the
Azores.
It has been introduced into many other places worldwide with suitable climates, including
North America,
Australia,
New Zealand and the
Falkland Islands.
Cultivation
thumb|left|''Calluna'' flower close-up
Despised until the 19th century for its associations with the most rugged rural poverty, heather's growth in popularity may be paralleled with the vogue for
alpine plants. It is a very popular
ornamental plant in
gardens and for landscaping, in lime-free areas where it will thrive, but has defeated many a gardener on less acid soil.
Cultivars
There are many named
cultivars, selected for variation in flower colour and for different foliage colour and growing habits.
Different cultivars have flower colours 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 decorative effects.
Cultivars with ornamental foliage are usually selected for reddish and golden leaf colour. A few forms can be silvery grey. Many of the ornamental foliage forms change colour with the onset of winter weather, usually increasing in intensity of colour. Some forms are grown for distinctive young spring foliage.
Cultivars include ‘Beoley Crimson’ (Crimson red), ‘Boskoop’ (light purple), ‘Cuprea’ (copper), 'Firefly' (deep mauve),‘Long White’ (white).
The following cultivars have gained the
Royal Horticultural Society's
Award of Garden Merit:
*'Alexandra' (Garden Girls series)
*'Alicia' (Garden Girls series)
*'Annemarie'
*'Beoley Gold'
*'County Wicklow'
*'Dark Beauty'
*'Dark Star'
*'Darkness'
*'Elsie Purnell'
*'Firefly'
*'Gold Haze'
*'Kerstin'
*'Kinlochruel'
*'Peter Sparkes'
*'Robert Chapman'
*'Silver Queen'
*'Sister Anne'
*'Spring Cream'
*'Tib'
*'Velvet Fascination'
*'Wickwar Flame'
Uses
Heather is an important food source for various sheep and deer which can graze the tips of the plants when snow covers low-growing vegetation.
Willow grouse and
red grouse feed on the young shoots and seeds of this plant. Both adult and
larva of the heather beetle (''
Lochmaea suturalis'') feed on it, and can cause extensive mortality in some instances. The larvae of a number of
Lepidoptera species also feed on the plant, notably the small emperor moth ''
Saturnia pavonia''.
Formerly heather was used to dye wool yellow and to tan leather. With
malt, heather is an ingredient in
gruit, a mixture of flavourings used in the brewing of
heather-beer during the
Middle Ages before the use of
hops.
Thomas Pennant wrote in ''A Tour in Scotland'' (1769) that on the Scottish island of
Islay "ale is frequently made of the young tops of heath, mixing two thirds of that plant with one of malt, sometimes adding hops".
From time immemorial heather has been used for making
besoms, a practice recorded in "
Buy Broom Buzzems" a song probably written by
William Purvis (Blind Willie) (1752–1832) from
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England.
Heather
honey is a highly valued product in moorland and heathland areas, with many
beehives being moved there in late summer. Not always as valued as it is today, it was dismissed as ''mel improbum'', "unwholesome honey" by
Dioscurides. Heather honey has a characteristic strong taste, and an unusual texture, for it is
thixotropic, being a
jelly until stirred, when it becomes a syrup like other honey, but then sets again to a jelly. This makes the
extraction of the honey from the comb difficult, and it is therefore often sold as
comb honey.
White heather is regarded in Scotland as being lucky, a tradition brought from
Balmoral to England by
Queen Victoria and sprigs of it are often sold as a
charm and worked into bridal
bouquets.
Heather stalks are used by a small industry in Scotland as a raw material for sentimental jewellery. The stalks are stripped of bark, dyed in bright colours and then compressed with resin.
''Calluna vulgaris'' herb has been used in the traditional Austrian medicine internally as tea for treatment of disorders of the kidneys and urinary tract.
Invasive species
The plant was introduced to New Zealand and has become an
invasive weed in some areas, notably the
Tongariro National Park in the North Island and the Wilderness Reserve (Te Anau) in the South Island, overgrowing native plants.
Heather beetles have been released to stop the heather, with preliminary trials successful to date.
Chemistry
The shoots of ''Calluna vulgaris'' contain the phenolic compounds
chlorogenic acid, its 3-O-glucoside, 3-O-galactoside and 3-O-arabinoside.
Cultural references
Heather is seen as iconic of
Scotland, where the plant grows widely. When poems like ''Bonnie Auld Scotland'' speak of "fragrant hills of purple heather', when the hero of
''Kidnapped'' flees through the heather, when heather and Scotland are linked in the same sentence, the heather talked about is ''Calluna vulgaris''.
Purple heather is one of the two
national flowers of
Norway.
See also
*
List of Lepidoptera that feed on ''Calluna''
*
Heath (habitat)
* ''
Erica''
References
External links
*
*
{{Taxonbar|from1=Q6983007|from2=Q26615
Category:Butterfly food plants
Category:Ericoideae
Category:Garden plants of Europe
Category:Garden plants of Asia
Category:Groundcovers
Category:Flora of Europe
Category:Flora of Russia
Category:Monotypic Ericaceae genera
Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Category:Subshrubs