Cornish Heath

Cornish Heath, Goonhilly Downs, Lizard, Cornwall

Flower spikes with leaves at the top

Flower spike

Close-up of flowers with projecting stamens

Stigmas protruding through ring of anthers

Whorls of leaves and woody stems
Erica vagans
Ericaceae
July to September
Native Cornish Heath is found on the Lizard Peninsular in
Cornwall.
See the BSBI distribution map for Cornish Heath
It grows on dry heaths
Cornish Heath is a native, mound-forming shrub, growing up
to 80cm.
It covers large areas of heathland on the Lizard.
The flowers are in broad, leafy, cylindrical spikes often topped
with leaves and up to 16cm.
Flowers are bell-shaped, up to 1cm, with a colour range from
pale pink to lilac.
The 4 stamens have white filaments and brownish-purple anthers,
which protrude from the flower.
The stigma is pink or white and also protrudes.
The pedicels (flower stalks) are pink and longer than the flowers.
The leaves are in whorls of 4-5, up to 1cm, linear, recurved at the
margin and bright green.
It is a diffuse shrub with many upright stems and erect branches.
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