Heather/Common Heather/Ling - Bell Heather - Cornish Heath
Explanation: They are all species of the family Ericaceae. Calluna vulgaris is generally known as Heather, Common Heather or Ling. Erica cinerea is normally called Bell Heather and Erica vagans is know as Cornish Heath or Wandering Heath. By the way, the scientific names should be written in italics or underlined and the first name (the genus) should have a capital letter). I don't know how to write in italics here! I hope this helps. See the references below for more information and photos. Sheila http://www.ulstermuseum.org.uk/flora/default.htm?item=3902 Calluna vulgaris Ericaceae Heather A low-growing shrubby species which is the commonest of all the heather species and which is found in acid and especially peaty soils all across Northern Ireland. The habitats include old leached sand dunes, lowland heaths, raised and blanket bogs, woodland and forestry plantations. It occurs from sea level to high up in the mountains and hills and frequently grows covering very large areas as the dominant species. It is adversely affected by over-grazing by sheep which can result in its replacement by a species-poor grassland on the hills. Calluna is distinguished from other heathers (Erica spp.) by having separate petals, instead of a tubular or urn-like flower of fused petals. It is frequently accompanied by Erica spp. and bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus). http://www.ulstermuseum.org.uk/flora/default.htm?item=3909 Erica cinerea Ericaceae Bell Heather One of the three common heathers of mountain blanket bog, lowland raised bog or acidic ground near the coast. Close-up of flower 10 km square distribution map http://www.ulstermuseum.org.uk/flora/default.htm?item=3913 Erica vagans Ericaceae Cornish Heath The English name is Cornish Heath because its main area of occurrence in the British Isles is the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall. It does occur in Ireland at two sites - one on the dunes at Murlough in County Down, where it is certainly a garden escape (it is a popular garden plant), and one in County Fermanagh not far from Belcoo, where it may be native. It grows with other heathers, and flowers about July ~ August. Outside the British Isles it is restricted to Spain and France. List of protected species in Northern Ireland http://www.ulstermuseum.org.uk/flora/ericacea.htm Species of EricaceaeSpecies list for Ericaceae Rhododendron ponticum L. Rhododendron Andromeda polifolia L. Bog-rosemary Gaultheria shallon Pursh Shallon Arbutus unedo L. Strawberry-tree Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Sprengel Bearberry Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull Heather Erica tetralix L. Cross-leaved Heath Erica terminalis Salisb. Corsican Heath Erica cinerea L. Bell Heather Erica vagans L. Cornish Heath Vaccinium oxycoccos L. Cranberry Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. Cowberry Vaccinium myrtillus L. Bilberry [Family List] [Major Groups] [Home Page] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.heathsandheathers.com/care/page3.html The Heather Specialists Growing Heathers in Cold Climates The following was written for you by Donald Mackay, editor of the North American Heather Society bulletin Heather News. Although some "not-quite-so-hardy" heaths often appear in books about the hardy heaths, it is clear from a map of the natural distribution of European heaths that Calluna vulgaris--the Scotch Heather- is the most widespread and northerly of them all, that Erica tetralix (bog heather) and Erica cinerea (bell heather) are less able to move inland from the moderation influence of the Atlantic Ocean, and that Erica carnea occupies the alpine ground of Central Europe. The other not-quite-so-hardy ericas are found naturally in the warm southwest of England or west of Ireland or around the Mediterranean sea. As expected, Erica vagans, Erica ciliaris, Erica erigena, Erica mackaiana and the hybrids they form (E. x williamsii, x watsonii, x praegeri, x darleyensis) are generally less likely to survive a hard winter than the alpine Erica carnea or the northern plants, i.e., Scotch Heather, bog heather, bell heather trio. In terms of simple survival ability, the not probably go to Erica carnea, but at a price. Practically speaking, the New England garden does best under extreme conditions with Calluna vulgaris, followed by Erica tetralix with Erica cinerea a poor third. Each of these species may be available in large numbers of cultivars. In such large numbers, a wide range of winter hardiness is to be found, and much overlapping, so that even among Calluna vulgaris, there are some cultivars whose southern origin can be a big impediment to Canadian, New England or Midwest gardening. The biggest enemy for heather gardening is extreme cold (20 degrees of frost or more). The biggest friend is snow. The most important question for you is does the period of deepest snow you get in winter overlap the periods of deepest frosts? In Vermont ski country, with a continuous snow cover all winter from two to four feet deep, Calluna vulgaris is perfectly safe. Erica carnea is also safe, but by thetime the snow cover has thawed, it may have finished its blooming unseen, often bleached in color, under the snow. Even in snow country one can get the January thaw, but this will affect Erica tetralix and Erica cinerea much more than Calluna vulgaris, usually by splitting their stems whch, while it does not kill the plant, does drastically cut back on the bloom in summer. If you live in more civilized parts of New England like the Connecticut River Valley, the snow cover is less reliable, or persistent, and tend to disappear long before the cold night frosts allow the ground to warm up. Under these conditions, W. Dickey grows heathers successfully using a combination of sloping bank to spill the frost Reemay®, porous synthetic cloth, to cover the ericas, pine needles and branches over everything, and special attention paid to drainage of the more cold-susceptible heathers. He finds that digging lots of sand into the ground under the plant seems to work well. The pine needles and Reemay® (this can be called Harvest Guard and is widely available) come off gradually in spring so that the carnea blooms can be seen, while the callunas remain shielded from bright sun and cold dehydrating winds so long as their roots are imbedded in the frozen ground. It is also important to avoid alternate freezing and thawing in fall, and especially spring, which leads to frost heaved http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/default.asp The lowland heaths that remain support a large number of species that are unique to the habitat. Typically, the heathland community is dominated by the heathers, five of which are native to mainland Britain (common heather Calluna vulgaris, cross-leaved heath Erica tetralix, bell heather Erica cinerea, Dorset heath Erica ciliaris and Cornish heath Erica vagans). A range of specialised plants grow amongst the heather, including scarcer species such as the marsh gentian Gentiana pneumonanthe and the carnivorous pale butterwort Pinguicula lusitanica. Wet heath and valley mires generally show greater diversity than dry heath and are of considerable botanical interest.
I am Scottish - and grew up amongst the heather!
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