Calluna vulgaris Ericaceae
Scotch Heather ka-LU-na vul-GA-ris
Evergreen ground cover, 4-24 inches (10-60 cm) high, spread of 2+ ft (60 cm), upright branching, dense, leafy ascending branches forming thick mats. Leaves scale-like, 1-3 mm long, 4-ranked giving a squarish shape to the shoot. Flowers rosy to purplish pink, urn-shaped, 6 mm long. The flowers of Calluna are distinguished from those of Erica (heath) by possessing a colored calyx longer than the corolla, which persists after flowering.
Sun. Prefers acid, sandy, organic, moist, and very well-drained soil.
Little or no fertilizer required. Drought resistant when established.
Prune back after flowering in spring. Good for seashore locations.
Hardy to USDA Zone 4 Native to Europe and Asia Minor.
Known as the ling of moor and mountains. The term heather is sometimes only applied to the genus Calluna, of which there is only one species,
C. vulgaris.
It has been cultured for centuries and there are reportedly over 700 cultivars, possibly 1,000. The three genera commonly called heath and heathers are . . .
Calluna, Erica, and Daboecia.
calluna: from the Latin, to cleanse; it was used to make brooms;
vulgaris: common.
An interesting question to me is... what plant would replace this plant with similar toughness, texture and golfability for an appropriate climate?
Would coprosma work well as a replacement in Australia or Southwestern America?
Would prostrate junipers (blue rug, etc.) work in the desert?