Calluna vulgaris
| Calluna vulgaris | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-6.5 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Mid Fall |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Calluna vulgaris (common name: heather)
Propagation: Seed - sow as soon as it is ripe or in February in a shaded part of the greenhouse[1][2]. Surface sow or only just cover the seed[2][3]. Cold stratification for 4 - 20 weeks aids germination[3]. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 2 months at 20°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter, planting them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood 4 - 5cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Good percentage[1].
Cuttings of mature wood of the current season's growth, 5 - 7cm with a heel, October/November in a frame. Good percentage[1].
Layering in autumn[1].
Division in spring. Dig up the plant 12 months prior to division and replant it 15 - 30cm deeper in the soil in order to encourage rooting along the stems. When ready to take the divisions, it is just a matter of digging up the plant and cutting off sections of stem with roots on them. These are best potted up and kept in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are well rooted before planting them out in the summer or following spring.
Cultivation: Requires a light acid soil and a sunny position[3][4]. Prefers a sunny position but tolerates light shade[5]. Only succeeds if the pH is below 6.5[5]. Prefers a poor peaty soil[6]. Plants are tolerant of fairly dry soils but they dislike prolonged drought[5]. They tolerate wet conditions in the winter[7].
Plants regenerate well from the base after a fire if the heat was not too great, if the fire was slow and intense then new seedlings will quickly become established[5].
Commonly grown in the ornamental garden, there are many named varieties[8][7].
The flowers are rich in nectar and are very attractive to bees, butterflies and moths[9][6][10]. This plant is also an important food source for the caterpillars of many lepidoptera[10].
Range: Much of Europe, including Britain, to N. W. Morocco. Less abundant in the east of its range..
Habitat: Acid soils in open woodlands, moors and marshy ground[9]. Often the dominant plant on well-drained acid moors and heaths[11].
Edibility: A tea is made from the flowering stems[12][13].
A kind of mead was once brewed from the flowers and the young shoots have been used instead of hops to flavour beer[9][13].
Medicinal: Heather has a long history of medicinal use in folk medicine. In particular it is a good urinary antiseptic and diuretic, disinfecting the urinary tract and mildly increasing urine production[14].
The flowering shoots are antiseptic, astringent, cholagogue, depurative, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, mildly sedative and vasoconstrictor[9][15][16][17][18][7]. The plant is often macerated and made into a liniment for treating rheumatism and arthritis, whilst a hot poultice is a traditional remedy for chilblains[9][14]. An infusion of the flowering shoots is used in the treatment of coughs, colds, bladder and kidney disorders, cystitis etc[16][7][14]. A cleansing and detoxifying plant, it has been used in the treatment of rheumatism, arthritis and gout[14]. The flowering stems are harvested in the autumn and dried for later use[9].
The plant is used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it are 'Self-centredness' and 'Self-concern'[19].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the fresh branches[16]. It is used in the treatment of rheumatism, arthritis and insomnia[16].
Usage: The branches have many uses, including in thatching, as a bedding or a stuffing for mattresses, for insulation, basketry, rope making and for making brooms[20][9][6][21][22][23][24][14].
The dried branches are a good fuel[20][23].
The rootstock can be made into musical pipes[14].
A yellow dye is obtained from the plant[9][21][22].
The bark is a source of tannin[21].
Heather can be grown as a low hedge and is quite useful as an edging to beds. It is fairly amenable to trimming[25].
A useful ground cover plant for covering dry banks[26][27]. The cultivar 'White Lawn' has been recommended[26]. All except the very dwarf cultivars will need trimming each spring in order to keep them compact[28].
Pollinators: Bees, flies, lepidoptera, wind
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Wind: Tolerates maritime wind exposure
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Mid Fall-Late Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Erica vulgaris.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Bird, R. Growing from Seed Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan, 1989.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Beckett, Kenneth and Gillian Beckett. Planting Native Trees and Shrubs. Jarrold, 1979.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Carter, David. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. Pan, 1982.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ Ceres. Free for All. Thorsons Publishers, 1977.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Mills, Simon. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
- ↑ Chancellor, Philip. Illustrated Handbook of the Bach Flower Remedies. C W Daniel, 1985.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Mabey, Richard. Plants with a Purpose. Fontana, 1979.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Freethy, Ron. From Agar to Zenery. The Crowood Press, 1985.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.
- ↑ Shepherd, F. W.. Hedges and Screens. Royal Horticultural Society, 1974.
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ Napier, Elspeth. Ground Cover Plants. Cassells, 1989.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Plants for Ground Cover. Everyman, 1990.