Erica cinerea
Common name:
Twisted Heath
Bell Heather
Heather-bell
Pronunciation:
ER-i-ka sin-E-ree-a
Family:
Ericaceae
Genus:
Type:
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon:
No
- Broadleaf evergreen low shrub, to 2 ft (60 cm), young twigs short-hairy. Needle-like leaves to 5+ mm in whorls of 3, linear, glabrous, margins revolute (rolled back). Flowers in a range of reds and pinks, sometimes white; pedicel downy; calyx to 3 mm and corolla to 7 mm, appear in summer (July-September).
- Sun. Requires acid soils, moist to dry, sandy to humus-rich.
- Hardy to USDA Zone 5 Native to western Europe.
- cinerea: ash colored
- Over 140 cultivars named, largely distinguished by flower color (white, pink, purple, or red), height (15-35 cm), spread (30-80 cm), open to dense, and mat-forming, rounded, to strongly upright.
- One of the most frequently grown cultivars, 'C.D. Eason' (shown here), reaches a height of 20 cm, has deep green leaves, and glowing pink flowers; it may flower for 6-9 months.
Click image to enlarge
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plant habit, summer flowering
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flowers
