There are 3 Types of Heather on The Western Isles
The purple or bell heather-- Erica cinera, commences flowering in early June, it likes the dryer places and so grows on rocks or dry moorland. As suggested by its common name the flowers are bell shaped.
The second heather is the cross leaved Heath heather which also has bell shaped flowers. Slightly paler pink in colour, this heather prefers wetter places and grows around the wet moorland and bogs, you will see this heather growing alongside bog asphodel.
The last heather to flower, showing its flower heads in July is the Ling heather which flowers on the heaths and the moors. This heather is at its best in late August when the hills are covered in it. It likes a slightly drier acidic ground than the other two heathers seen here in The Western Isles, the bell heather and the cross leaved heath heather.
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Purple or Bell Heather |
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Cross Leaved Heath Heather |
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Ling Heather |
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Ling Heather -Pinky Purple - Lilac Wild Flowers Seen All Over The Western Isles
These pretty pinky purple Spikes of urn-shaped wildflowers belonging to the ling heather are the last of the three types of heather to show their faces in the Hebrides. It is a woody-stemmed and evergreen shrub which has many branches. It is quite prolific as the branches can take root easily. The branches also have lots of side shoots. THe plant reaches 50 - 60cm in height. This heather prefers acid soils.
Meaning of the Name Calluna
The latin name Calluna derived from the Greek word kalluno meaning "to sweep". Ling heather was used in times gone by to make brushes. It was tied in bundles to a handle. THese brushes were used inside the houses.
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Water Evaporation
Ling heather is to be be found on the drier hummocks of the bogs. Its tiny leaves are covered in a waxy coat to conserve water as the peat at its roots can sometimes dry out during the summer
As the leaves of the ling heather are small and are in rolled, water loss is prevented and there isn't so much water lost from evaporation which means that this plant copes well in extreme weather conditions and flowers for a long time.
Roots of Ling Heather
The roots of ling heather are are surrounded by a mesh of fungal threads growing into the roots. They help the roots in getting minerals and water from the peat in exchange for sugars produced in the leaves of the heather. These are called mycorrhiza.
Ling Heather conserves nutrients on the bog using its evergreen leaves. This means that the plant uses the leaves to make food for more than one year which is why the ling heather is so prolific.
Pollination
The fact that the ling heather flowers for a long period means of course that it is an excellent source of pollen for the insects. It is very good for the bees and butterflies.
Leaves
The leaves growing on the branches are 1 - 3 mm. long, stalk-less and grow in four vertical rows. They are oblong and opposite. The leaves are tightly packed together on the side shoots, but more openly spaced on the main branches. The leaves are scale-like in appearance, with the edges curling in, and are dark green in colour, with reddish-brown tips when they are new. The short, narrow leaves are borne in 4 rows along stems.
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