Erica scoparia, the green heather[1] or Common Besom Heath,[2] is a shrubby European species of heath in the flowering plant family Ericaceae.
Erica scoparia | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Ericales |
Family: | Ericaceae |
Genus: | Erica |
Species: | E. scoparia
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Binomial name | |
Erica scoparia |
Erica scoparia is a perennial evergreen shrub with small yellowish white to red-brown bell-shaped drooping flowers borne in clusters at the ends of its shoots.[3]
It is native to the western Mediterranean Basin in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal), Northwest Africa (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia), Southern France, Italy, Balearic Islands, Sardinia and Corsica.[4]
It is found in a range of Mediterranean habitats, including semi-arid locations. Its distribution seems to largely depend on water availability (being considered hygrophytic) and dissolved aluminum in the soil. It is quite consistent under varied levels of shade.[5][6]
Media related to Erica scoparia at Wikimedia Commons