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Heather (Calluna vulgaris)
Photo: Aqwis (Aqwis), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

On the map in 5 countries dwarf shrub symbol: Norway

Heather

Calluna vulgaris

Family: Ericaceae

On our map this plant appears in 5 countries and ranks highest in: Norway, Denmark, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Poland.

Heather is a low, evergreen dwarf shrub with tiny, scale-like leaves and spikes of pinkish-purple flowers that bloom from July to September. It grows on poor, acidic soils – on heathland, in open pine forests, on peat bogs and on coastal rocks. The coastal heaths of western Norway were maintained by people for thousands of years by grazing sheep on them all year round and regularly burning the old plants. Heather is an important honey plant and food for grouse and sheep.

Description from: Norway.

More: Wikipedia (en) Wikipedia (pl) Plants of the World Online (Kew)

Significance in each country

  1. Norway no. 2 of 10 native

    National flower of Norway (chosen in 1976)

    Heather won the title of national flower in a vote by listeners of the radio programme “Nitimen” in 1976, alongside the previously chosen bergfrue.

  2. Denmark no. 3 of 8 native

    After the loss of Schleswig in 1864, the Danish Heath Society began converting Jutland’s heaths into fields and forest plantations under the slogan “what is lost outwardly must be won inwardly”.

  3. United Kingdom no. 7 of 10 native

    For centuries heather was used in Scotland for thatching roofs, making ropes and brooms and dyeing wool, and its flowers were used to brew beer (heather ale).

  4. Netherlands no. 9 of 10 native

    The Dutch heathlands are the result of centuries of sheep grazing and turf cutting – the turf was mixed with manure and spread on the fields.

  5. Poland no. 15 of 15 native

    The Polish name for September, wrzesień, comes from wrzos, heather, which flowers most profusely at that time, and pots of heather are a typical autumn decoration on Polish balconies and on graves before All Saints’ Day.