Bell Heather

Common Name: Bell heather

Latin Name: Erica cinerea

Family: Ericaceae (Heather family)

Bell heather is an evergreen straggly dwarf shrub, with leaves in whorls of three at each node. The bell shaped flowers are bright reddish-purple or white and it can be found growing in dry heaths alongside heather. Erica plants have a symbiotic relationship with fungi that grows inside and between some of plant root cells. The plant thrives in the presence of the fungi and the fungi benefits from some of the plants nutrients.

In the Yorkshire Dales National Park bell heather has a scattered distribution on dry heaths but where it does occur it can be plentiful with a burst of colour between July and September.