Flowering heather in The Netherlands
© Bendiks Westerink/Minden Pictures
Flowering heather in The Netherlands
Common heather is the only species in the genus Calluna. The plant was once considered a vulgar symbol of poverty, perhaps because it grows in the rugged heaths and moors of Europe, where the acidic soil makes farming difficult. But at some point during the 19th century, heather became a fashionable ornamental flowering shrub and was no longer considered the lowly bloom of the moorland. And though the thistle is the national flower of Scotland, heather blooms are a major cultural symbol in Scottish lore.
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