''Erica tetralix'', the cross-leaved heath, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Ericaceae The Ericaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the heath or heather family, found most commonly in acidic and infertile growing conditions. The family is large, with c.4250 known species spread across 124 genera, making it th ...

, native to western Europe, from southern Portugal to central Norway, as well as a number of boggy regions further from the coast in Central Europe such as Austria and Switzerland. In bogs, wet heaths and damp coniferous woodland, ''E. tetralix'' can become a dominant part of the flora. It has also been introduced to parts of North America.

Description

It is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...

subshrub with small pink bell-shaped drooping

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s borne in compact clusters at the ends of its shoots, and leaves in

whorls A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a spiral or multiple concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs). Whorls in nature File:Photograph and axial plane floral ...

of four (whence the name). The flowers appear in summer and autumn. The distinction between ''E. tetralix'' and the related species ''

Erica cinerea ''Erica cinerea'', the bell heather, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae, native to western and central Europe. The plant provides a great deal of nectar for pollinators. It was rated in the top 5 for most nectar produc ...

'' is that the linear leaves are usually glandular and in whorls of four, while those of ''Erica cinerea'' are glabrous and borne in whorls of three. The leaves of '' Calluna vulgaris'' are much smaller and scale-like and borne in opposite and decussate pairs.

Clive Stace Clive Anthony Stace (born 1938) is a British botanist and botanical author. He studied at King's College London, graduated from University of London in 1959 and then studied at the Natural History Museum, London. He was awarded a PhD in 1963. ...

(2010) ''New Flora of the British Isles'', 3rd edition. Cambridge University Press. The sticky, adhesive glands on leaves, sepals and other parts of the plant prompted

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...

to suggest that this species might be a

protocarnivorous plant A protocarnivorous plant (sometimes also paracarnivorous, subcarnivorous, or borderline carnivore), according to some definitions, traps and kills insects or other animals but lacks the ability to either directly digest or absorb nutrients from it ...

, but little, if any, research has been done on this. Darwin, Charles. (1875).
Insectivorous Plants
'. London: J. Murray.

Uses

In cultivation, like other heathers, ''E. tetralix'' requires an acidic soil, as it is a

calcifuge A calcifuge is a plant that does not tolerate alkaline (basic) soil. The word is derived from the Latin 'to flee from chalk'. These plants are also described as ericaceous, as the prototypical calcifuge is the genus '' Erica'' (heaths). It is not ...

. Numerous cultivars have been developed for garden use, of which ''E. tetralix'' f. ''alba'' 'Alba Mollis' (a white-flowered variety) and ''E. tetralix'' 'Pink Star' have gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...

's Award of Garden Merit.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1421121 tetralix Flora of Europe Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus