Scientific name: Erica cinerea L.
Common name: Bell Heather
Description
Habit: An evergreen shrub, to 60 cm high.
Stems: Erect, woody, often straggling, hairless or slightly hairy.
Leaves: Evergreen, 4-7 mm long, hairless, short-stalked, in whorls of 3; often with tufts of leaves in their axils.
Flowers: Reddish purple, hermaphrodite, 8-14 mm across, in long, narrow, leafy, irregular, terminal racemes sometimes appearing clustered; sepals narrow, hairless, with translucent papery margins; 4 fused petals forming a tubular, urn-shaped corolla; stamens 8; ovary superior.
Fruits: A capsule.
Habitat: Heaths, banks, other peaty and dry habitats, less often on wet moorland, blanket-bog or limestone pavement.
Distribution: Frequent to occasional.
Native status: Native
Of conservation interest: No