Taxon:  Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull



Summary
Genus:
Calluna
Family:
Ericaceae
Subfamily:
Ericoideae
Tribe:
Ericeae
Nomen number:
8605
Place of publication:
Brit. fl. ed. 2, 1:114.  1808
Verified:
05/15/1995 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
45 (2  active, 0  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull f. alba (Weston) Braun-Blanq. (0 active accession[s])
Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull f. aurea (G. Don) W. Beij. (0 active accession[s])
Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull f. foxii (Bean) Rehder (0 active accession[s])
Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull f. searlei (Fraser) Rehder (0 active accession[s])
Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull f. serotina (Loudon) Rehder (0 active accession[s])
Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull f. vulgaris (0 active accession[s])
Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull var. hirsuta (K. F. Waitz) Gray (0 active accession[s])
Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull var. vulgaris (0 active accession[s])
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Basionym
Erica vulgaris L.

Homotypic Synonym(s)
Erica vulgaris L. var. vulgaris

Images (1 total. Click on image for more.)
Seeds

Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
  2. Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
  3. APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
  4. Britton, N. L. & A. Brown. 1952. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British possessions, ed. 3. 3:21-22. Note: naturalized in North America
  5. Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
  6. Encke, F. et al. 1993. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 14. Auflage
  7. Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
  8. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
  9. Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
  10. Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
  11. Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1967. Flora SSSR. 18:69.
  12. Luteyn, J. L. et al. 1996. Ericaceae of the southeastern United States. Castanea 61:111.
  13. McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
  14. Ortega-Sada, J. L. 1987. Flora de interes apicola y polinizacion de cultivos.
  15. Personal Care Products Council. International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient
  16. Silva, L. et al. 2005. Listagem da fauna e flora terrestres dos Açores. Lista des plantas vasculares (Pteridophyta e Spermatophyta).
  17. Stace, C. 1995. New flora of the British Isles.
  18. Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1972. Flora europaea. 3:8.
  19. Walters, S. M. et al., eds. 1986-2000. European garden flora.
  20. Weber, E. 2003. Invasive plant species of the world: a reference guide to environmental weeds
  21. 1961. Webster's third new international dictionary.
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
Englishheather  1Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Englishling  1Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
Englishred-heath  11961. Webster's third new international dictionary.
EnglishScotch heather but this adjective is best avoided, may cause offence in Scotland1Luteyn, J. L. et al. 1996. Ericaceae of the southeastern United States. Castanea 61:111.
EnglishScots heather  1Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
Spanishbiercol  2Ortega-Sada, J. L. 1987. Flora de interes apicola y polinizacion de cultivos.
Swedishljung  2Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
1NativeAfricaMacaronesiaPortugalAzores Silva, L. et al. 2005. Listagem da fauna e flora terrestres dos Açores. Lista des plantas vasculares (Pteridophyta e Spermatophyta).
1NativeAfricaMacaronesiaPortugalMadeira Islands  
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaMorocco  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAsia-TemperateSiberiaRussian FederationAltay Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1967. Flora SSSR. 18:69.
1NativeAsia-TemperateSiberiaRussian Federation-Eastern SiberiaEastern Siberia Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1967. Flora SSSR. 18:69.
1NativeAsia-TemperateSiberiaRussian Federation-Western SiberiaWestern Siberia Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1967. Flora SSSR. 18:69.
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaTurkey  Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1NativeEuropeEastern EuropeBelarus  Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1NativeEuropeEastern EuropeLatvia  Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1NativeEuropeEastern EuropeLithuania  Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1NativeEuropeEastern EuropeRussian Federation-European partEuropean part Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1967. Flora SSSR. 18:69.
1NativeEuropeEastern EuropeUkraine  Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1NativeEuropeMiddle EuropeAustria  Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1NativeEuropeMiddle EuropeBelgium  Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1972. Flora europaea. 3:8.
1NativeEuropeMiddle EuropeGermany  Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1972. Flora europaea. 3:8.
1NativeEuropeMiddle EuropeHungary  Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1972. Flora europaea. 3:8.
1NativeEuropeMiddle EuropeNetherlands  Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1972. Flora europaea. 3:8.
1NativeEuropeMiddle EuropePoland  Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1972. Flora europaea. 3:8.
1NativeEuropeMiddle EuropeSwitzerland  Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1972. Flora europaea. 3:8.
1NativeEuropeNorthern EuropeDenmark  Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1972. Flora europaea. 3:8.
1NativeEuropeNorthern EuropeIreland  Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1972. Flora europaea. 3:8.
1NativeEuropeNorthern EuropeNorway  Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1972. Flora europaea. 3:8.
1NativeEuropeNorthern EuropeSweden  Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1972. Flora europaea. 3:8.
1NativeEuropeNorthern EuropeUnited Kingdom  Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1972. Flora europaea. 3:8.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeAlbania  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeBulgaria  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeCroatia  Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeGreece  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeItaly  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeRomania  Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1972. Flora europaea. 3:8.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeSerbia  Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeSlovenia  Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1NativeEuropeSouthwestern EuropeFrance  Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1972. Flora europaea. 3:8.
1NativeEuropeSouthwestern EuropePortugal  Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1972. Flora europaea. 3:8.
1NativeEuropeSouthwestern EuropeSpain  Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1972. Flora europaea. 3:8.
2Cultivated    also cult. 
4NaturalizedAustralasiaAustraliaAustralia   
4NaturalizedAustralasiaNew ZealandNew Zealand   
4NaturalizedNorthern America Canada   
4NaturalizedNorthern America United States w. (incl. Alaska) 
Native
Africa
  • MACARONESIA: Portugal [Azores, Madeira Islands]
  • NORTHERN AFRICA: Morocco
Asia-Temperate
  • WESTERN ASIA: Turkey
  • SIBERIA: Russian Federation-Western Siberia [Western Siberia], Russian Federation-Eastern Siberia [Eastern Siberia], Russian Federation [Altay]
Europe
  • NORTHERN EUROPE: Denmark, United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, Sweden
  • MIDDLE EUROPE: Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland
  • EASTERN EUROPE: Russian Federation-European part [European part], Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine
  • SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE: Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia
  • SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE: Spain, France, Portugal
Cultivated (also cult.)
Naturalized
Australasia
  • AUSTRALIA: Australia
  • NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand
Northern America
  • REGION: Canada, United States (w. (incl. Alaska))

Reference(s)
  1. Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
  2. Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
  3. Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1967. Flora SSSR. 18:69.
  4. Silva, L. et al. 2005. Listagem da fauna e flora terrestres dos Açores. Lista des plantas vasculares (Pteridophyta e Spermatophyta).
  5. Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1972. Flora europaea. 3:8.
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Bee plantshoney productionthe honey is dark, tart and rather bitterKomarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1967. Flora SSSR. 18:69.
Environmentalerosion control Weber, E. 2003. Invasive plant species of the world: a reference guide to environmental weeds
Environmentalornamental Encke, F. et al. 1993. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 14. Auflage
Medicinesfolklore Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Medicinesfolklore McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Weed  Weber, E. 2003. Invasive plant species of the world: a reference guide to environmental weeds
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=8605. Accessed 15 April 2026.