| Erica cinerea | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Erica |
| Species: | E. cinerea |
| Binomial name | |
| Erica cinerea | |
Erica cinerea, thebell heather,[2] is aspecies offlowering plant in the heathfamily Ericaceae,native to western and central Europe.
It is a low, spreadingshrub growing to 15–60 centimetres (6–23+1⁄2 inches) tall, with fine needle-likeleaves4–8 millimetres (1⁄8–3⁄8 in) long arranged in whorls of three. Theflowers are bell-shaped, purple (rarely white),4–7 mm (1⁄8–1⁄4 in) long, produced in mid- to late summer. The flowers are dry, similar in texture to thestrawflower.
The Latinspecific epithetcinerea means "ash coloured".[3]
E. cinerea is native to the west of Europe, where it is most abundant in Britain and Ireland, France, northern Spain and southern Norway. It also occurs in the Faroe Islands, Belgium, Germany, north-western Italy, and the Netherlands.[4]
It mostly occurs on moors and heathland with relatively dry, acidic, nutrient poor soils. It occurs in coastal dune heath and dune slack and occasionally in woodland.
The plant provides a great deal ofnectar forpollinators. It was rated in the top 5 for most nectar production (nectar per unit cover per year) in aUK plants survey conducted by the AgriLand project which is supported by the UK Insect Pollinators Initiative.[5]
It is described as "of least concern" on theIUCN Red List of Threatened Species.[4]
It is grown as anornamental plant, cultivated in a wider range of colors. It is drought-tolerant and grows well in full sun with well-drained soil. Like most heathers, it is acalcifuge and dislikes alkaline soils (e.g. calcareous) which cause the symptoms of iron deficiency. Like other cultivated heathers, it is often seen asgroundcover among plantings of dwarfconifers.[6]
Thesecultivars have gained theRoyal Horticultural Society'sAward of Garden Merit:[7]
'Eden Valley' has lavender flowers shading to white at the base of thecorolla and aprostrate habit. The original plant was found onTrink Hill,Cornwall, by Miss Gertrude Waterer.[12]
Bell heather is a source of heather honey.[13]
Media related toErica cinerea at Wikimedia Commons
