Common Heather

Common Heather or Ling (Calluna vulgaris)  is the dominant heather on Cannock Chase,

Its delicate pink flowers appear from August to October and are a contrast to the tough, wiry, sprawling stems they grow upon. Plants grow tightly packed together and can live for up to 40 years or more.

Usually growing to about 50cm but occasionally twice that height, the flowers spikes are a lovely pale pink-to-mauve or sometimes white (known as ‘lucky white heather) and small oblong opposite scale-leaves occur along the stems.

Did you know?

Historically, heather has been used for many purposes, such as fuel, fodder, building materials, thatch, packing and ropes. It was also used to make brooms, which is how it got its Latin name – Callunais derived from the Greek word meaning ‘to brush’.