Common Name: Heather

General Information

Calluna vulgaris is a much-branched, straggly, evergreen shrub growing 20 - 60cm tall, exceptionally to 90cm[].
The plant has a wide range of traditional uses, being harvested from the wild for use as a medicine, food and source of materials

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

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Range

Eurasia - Norway to Spain, east to eastern Siberia and Turkey; N. Africa - Macaronesia, Morocco

Habitat

Acid soils in open woodlands, moors and marshy ground[]. Often the dominant plant on well-drained acid moors and heaths[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Bees, Flies, Lepidoptera, wind
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a light acid soil and a sunny position[, ]. Prefers a sunny position but tolerates light shade[]. Only succeeds if the pH is below 6.5[]. Prefers a poor peaty soil, in good soil it is apt to grow too quickly and become gaunt and bare, and short-lived[]. Plants are tolerant of fairly dry soils but they dislike prolonged drought[]. They tolerate wet conditions in the winter[].
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[].
Commonly grown in the ornamental garden, there are many named varieties[, ].

Edible Uses

A tea is made from the flowering stems[, ].

A kind of mead was once brewed from the flowers and the young shoots have been used instead of hops to flavour beer[, ].

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[].

The flowering shoots are antiseptic, astringent, cholagogue, depurative, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, mildly sedative and vasoconstrictor[, , , , , ]. An infusion of the flowering shoots is used in the treatment of coughs, colds, bladder and kidney disorders, cystitis etc[, , ]. A cleansing and detoxifying plant, it has been used in the treatment of rheumatism, arthritis and gout[].
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[, ].
The flowering stems are harvested in the autumn and dried for later use[].

The plant is used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it are 'Self-centredness' and 'Self-concern'[].

A homeopathic remedy is made from the fresh branches[]. It is used in the treatment of rheumatism, arthritis and insomnia[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Heather can be grown as a low hedge and is quite useful as an edging to beds. It is fairly amenable to trimming[].
A useful ground cover plant for covering dry banks - with a little attention at first to weeding and perhaps watering, the plants will soon take complete possession of the bank, giving beautiful patches of colour from mid summer onwards for many years.[, , ]. The cultivar 'White Lawn' has been recommended[]. All except the very dwarf cultivars will need trimming each spring in order to keep them compact[].
The flowers are rich in nectar and are very attractive to bees, butterflies and moths[, , ]. This plant is also an important food source for the caterpillars of many lepidoptera[].

Other Uses

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[, , , , , , , ].

The rootstock can be made into musical pipes[].

A yellow dye is obtained from the plant[, , ].

The bark is a source of tannin[].

The dried branches are a good fuel[, ].

Propagation

Seed - sow as soon as it is ripe or in late winter in a shaded part of the greenhouse[, ]. Surface sow or only just cover the seed[, ]. Cold stratification for 4 - 20 weeks aids germination[]. 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, mid summer in a frame. Good percentage[].
Cuttings of mature wood of the current season's growth, 5 - 7cm with a heel, autumn in a frame. Good percentage[].
Layering in autumn[].
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.