| Calluna | |
|---|---|
 | |
| FloweringCalluna vulgaris | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Subfamily: | Ericoideae |
| Tribe: | Ericeae |
| Genus: | Calluna Salisb. |
| Species: | C. vulgaris |
| Binomial name | |
| Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull | |
Calluna vulgaris,common heather,ling, or simplyheather,[1] is the sole species in thegenusCalluna in theflowering plant familyEricaceae. It is a low-growingevergreenshrub growing to 20 to 50 centimetres (8 to 20 in) tall, or rarely to 1 metre (40 in) and taller,[2] and is found widely in Europe and Asia Minor onacidic soils in open sunny situations and in moderate shade.
It is the dominant plant in mostheathland andmoorland in Europe, and in somebog vegetation and acidicpine andoak woodland. It is tolerant of grazing and regenerates following occasional burning, and is often managed in nature reserves andgrouse moors by sheep or cattle grazing, and also by light burning.
Calluna can reach 60 centimetres (24 in) in height.[3] It has small-scaleleaves (less than 2–3 mm long) borne in opposite anddecussate pairs, whereas those ofErica are generally larger and in whorls of 3–4, sometimes 5.[4] It flowers from July to September.[5]: 231 In wild plants these are normallymauve, but white-flowered plants also occur occasionally. They are terminal inracemes with sepal-likebracts at the base with a superior ovary, the fruit acapsule.[6] UnlikeErica,Calluna sometimes sportsdouble flowers.Calluna is sometimes referred to as Summer (or Autumn) heather to distinguish it from winter or spring flowering species ofErica.[citation needed]
Phenolic compounds in the shoots ofCalluna vulgaris includechlorogenic acid and a novel phenolic glycoside, most of which are found in greater number during the summer.[7]
Thenectar ofCalluna vulgaris contains a megastigmane, callunene, that is inhibitory at naturally occurring concentrations to a commontrypanosome parasite of bumble bees,Crithidia bombi. Koch et al. elucidate the mechanism of activity that results in the loss of the parasite's flagellum, leading to reduced infectivity, because the flagellum is crucial to anchoring in the insect gut.[8]
Calluna was separated from the closely related genusErica byRichard Anthony Salisbury, who devised the generic nameCalluna probably fromAncient Greekkallýnō ([καλλύνω]) 'beautify, sweep clean', in reference to its traditional use inbesoms. The specificepithetvulgaris isLatin for 'common'.Calluna is differentiated fromErica by itscorolla andcalyx each being in four parts instead of five.
Calluna vulgaris is native toEurope,Iceland, theFaroe Islands, and theAzores.[9] It has been introduced into many other places worldwide with suitable climates, includingNorth America,Australia,New Zealand and theFalkland Islands.[10] It is extremely cold-hardy, surviving severe exposure and freezing conditions well below −20 °C (−4 °F).[11]
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 andred grouse feed on the young shoots and seeds of this plant.[12] Both adult andlarva of the heather beetle (Lochmaea suturalis) feed on it, and can cause extensive mortality in some instances. The larvae of a number ofLepidoptera species also feed on the plant, notably the small emperor mothSaturnia pavonia.
The plant was introduced to New Zealand and has become aninvasive weed in some areas, notably theTongariro National Park andMount Ruapehu in the North Island, as well as 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.[13][14]
There are many namedcultivars, selected for variation in flower colour and for different foliage colour and growing habits.[15]
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.[16]
The following cultivars have gained theRoyal Horticultural Society'sAward of Garden Merit:
Formerly heather was used to dye wool yellow and to tan leather. Withmalt, heather is an ingredient ingruit, a mixture of flavourings used in the brewing ofheather-beer during theMiddle Ages before the use ofhops.Thomas Pennant wrote inA Tour in Scotland (1769) that on the Scottish island ofIslay "ale is frequently made of the young tops of heath, mixing two thirds of that plant with one of malt, sometimes adding hops".[37] "Heath Beer" is mentioned in the recipe book ofLady Ann Fanshawe (compiled from 1651).[38]
From time immemorial heather has been used for makingbesoms, a practice recorded in "Buy Broom Buzzems" a song probably written byWilliam Purvis (Blind Willie) (1752–1832) fromNewcastle-upon-Tyne, England.
Heatherhoney is a highly valued product in moorland and heathland areas, with manybeehives being moved there in late summer. Not always as valued as it is today,[39] it was dismissed asmel improbum, "unwholesome honey" byDioscurides.[40] Heather honey has a characteristic strong taste, and an unusual texture, for it isthixotropic, being ajelly until stirred, when it becomes a syrup like other honey, but then sets again to a jelly. This makes theextraction of the honey from the comb difficult, and it is therefore often sold ascomb honey.
White heather is regarded in Scotland as being lucky,[41] a tradition brought fromBalmoral to England byQueen Victoria[42] and sprigs of it are often sold as acharm and worked into bridalbouquets.
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.[citation needed]
Calluna vulgaris herb has been used in the traditional Austrian medicine internally as tea for treatment of disorders of the kidneys and urinary tract.[43]
Heather is seen as iconic ofScotland, where the plant grows widely. When poems likeBonnie Auld Scotland speak of "fragrant hills of purple heather', when the hero ofKidnapped flees through the heather, when heather and Scotland are linked in the same sentence, the heather talked about isCalluna vulgaris.[44]
Purple heather is one of the twonational flowers ofNorway,[45][46] the other beingSaxifraga cotyledon. It was chosen as a national flower on the basis of a vote of popularity in a Norwegian radio show in 1976.[46]
Calluna vulgaris is theprovince flower of the Swedish province ofVästergötland.
In favorable conditions, old plants can grow to the height of a man, and have hidden many a fugitive
Media related toCalluna vulgaris at Wikimedia Commons
Data related toCalluna at Wikispecies