# Erica vagans

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Species of flowering plant

Erica vagans Conservation status Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1] Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Embryophytes Clade: Tracheophytes Clade: Spermatophytes Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Eudicots Clade: Asterids Order: Ericales Family: Ericaceae Genus: Erica Species: E. vagans Binomial name Erica vagans L.

***Erica vagans***, the **Cornish heath** or **wandering heath**, is a [species](/source/Species) of [flowering plant](/source/Flowering_plant) in the [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) [Ericaceae](/source/Ericaceae), [native](/source/Native_plant) to Ireland, Cornwall, western France and Spain.[2] It is a vigorous, spreading, [evergreen](/source/Evergreen) heather reaching 75 cm (30 in) tall and wide, with pink flowers borne in [racemes](/source/Raceme) 14 cm (6 in) long in summer and autumn. The Latin [specific epithet](/source/Binomial_nomenclature) *vagans* literally means "wandering"; in this context it means "widely distributed".[3]

## Description

Close-up of Erica vagans

Cornish heath is an evergreen subshrub, growing to a height of 1 to 3 ft (30 to 90 cm). The small linear leaves with pale undersides and down-rolled margins grow in whorls of four or five on the wiry stems. The inflorescence is a fat, leafy spike with a few long-stalked, globular flowers; these are pink or lilac and have brown stamens that protrude from the open mouths. The flowering period is from July to September.[4]

## Cornish population

In Great Britain, it is only found on [the Lizard peninsula](/source/The_Lizard) in southern Cornwall, where the [unusual geology](/source/Geology_of_Lizard%2C_Cornwall) gives rise to the [acid soils](/source/Soil_pH) that it favours. It was voted the [County flower](/source/County_flowers_of_the_United_Kingdom) of [Cornwall](/source/Cornwall) in 2002 following a poll by the wild flora conservation charity [Plantlife](/source/Plantlife).[5] It is often considered the [Cornish](/source/Cornish_people) [floral emblem](/source/Floral_emblem).[6]

According to one story, this is because when [Joseph of Arimathea](/source/Joseph_of_Arimathea) first arrived in Cornwall looking for tin he had nowhere to stay, so he spent his first night on a bed of Cornish heather. In thankfulness, he blessed the plant and it has been a blessed plant ever since.[7]

Mix of Cornish heath near [Goonhilly Downs](/source/Goonhilly_Downs), croft Pascoe forest seen on horizon.[8]

## Cultivation

*Erica vagans* - Cornish heath

Like almost all plants in the heath family (Ericaceae), *E. vagans* requires an acidic or, at the very least, neutral soil to thrive. In areas with alkaline (basic) soil, this can be achieved by planting *E. vagans* in containers with ericaceous compost. Numerous [cultivars](/source/Cultivar) have been developed with a range of flower colours in white, pink, mauve and purple.

### AGM cultivars

The following cultivars have gained the [Royal Horticultural Society](/source/Royal_Horticultural_Society)'s [Award of Garden Merit](/source/Award_of_Garden_Merit):-[9]

- *E. vagans* ‘Mrs D.F. Maxwell’[10]

- *E. vagans* 'St Keverne'[11]

- *E. vagans* [f.](/source/Form_(botany)) *alba* 'Cornish Cream'[12] (white-flowered variety)

- *E. vagans* f. *alba* 'Kevernensis Alba'[13] (white-flowered variety)

- *E. vagans* f. *alba* 'Lyonnesse'[14]

- *E. vagans* f. *aureifolia* 'Valerie Proudley'[15] (gold-leaved variety)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Rivers, M.C. 2017. Erica vagans. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T83753964A86136046. [https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T83753964A86136046.en](https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T83753964A86136046.en). Accessed on 10 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-RHSAZ_2-0)** *RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants*. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1405332964](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1405332964).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-RHSLG_3-0)** Harrison, Lorraine (2012). *RHS Latin for gardeners*. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. p. 224. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781845337315](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781845337315).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** McClintock, David; Fitter, R.S.R. (1961). *The Pocket Guide to Wild Flowers*. London: Collins. p. 122.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Plantlife website [*County Flowers page*](http://www.plantlife.org.uk/wild_plants/county_flowers/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150430170312/http://www.plantlife.org.uk/wild_plants/county_flowers/) 2015-04-30 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** James Minahan, *The complete guide to national symbols and emblems*, Volume 1, 2009

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Nicholls, Steve (2019). [*Flowers of the Field: Meadow, Moor and Woodland*](https://books.google.com/books?id=6zKEDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT568). Head of Zeus. p. 568. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-78954-068-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-78954-068-0).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-CPF_8-0)** ["Croft Pascoe Forest, Cornwall - area information, map, walks and more"](https://getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/local/croft-pascoe-forest-cornwall). *Ordnance Survey Get Outside*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["AGM Plants - Ornamental"](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf) (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 36. Retrieved 6 February 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["RHS Plantfinder - *Erica vagans* 'Mrs D.F. Maxwell'"](https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/58721/i-Erica-vagans-i-Mrs-D-f-Maxwell/Details). Retrieved 17 February 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Brian Proudley; Valerie Proudley (1989). *Heathers in Colour* (2nd ed.). Blandford Press. p. 32. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0713714204](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0713714204). *E. vagans* 'St Keverne' is a favourite for late summer. ... As well as an Award of Merit bestowed upon it by the Royal Horticultural Society in 1914, it received in 1927 the coveted Award of Garden Merit

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["RHS Plant Selector - *Erica vagans* f. *alba* 'Cornish Cream'"](https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/89672/Erica-vagans-f-alba-Cornish-Cream/Details). [RHS](/source/Royal_Horticultural_Society). Retrieved 24 March 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["RHS Plant Selector - *Erica vagans* f. *alba* 'Kevernensis Alba'"](https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/32447/Erica-vagans-f-alba-Kevernensis-Alba/Details). Retrieved 24 March 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** ["**E. vagans* f. *alba* 'Lyonnesse'"](https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/93679/Erica-vagans-f-alba-Lyonesse/Details). RHS. Retrieved 19 March 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** ["RHS Plant Selector - *Erica vagans* f. aureifolia 'Valerie Proudley'"](https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/293397/Erica-vagans-f-aureifolia-Valerie-Proudley/Details). Retrieved 23 February 2020.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Erica vagans](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Erica_vagans).

v t e Culture of Cornwall Cornish: Gonisogeth Kernow Symbols Celtic cross Cornish chough Cornish heath Cornish kilts and tartans Jonathan Trelawny Michael An Gof Saint Piran Saint Piran's Flag Scillonian Cross Festivals AberFest Allantide Chewidden Thursday Furry Dance Golowan Guldize Kernewek Lowender Montol Festival Mummer's Day Nickanan Night Nos Lowen Noze looan 'Obby 'Oss Picrous Day St Piran's Day Tom Bawcock's Eve Sports Cornish hurling Cornish pilot-gig racing Cornish wrestling Rugby union in Cornwall Cuisine Cloam oven Clotted cream Cornish cheeses Cornish cream tea Cornish fairings Cornish Gilliflower Hevva cake Hog's pudding Pasty Saffron bun Stargazy pie Cornish Yarg Arts List of Cornish writers Tristan and Iseult Cornwall Film Festival Tate St Ives St Ives School W. J. Burley Charles Causley Newlyn School Barbara Hepworth Daphne du Maurier William Golding Alan Kent H. C. McNeile Rosamunde Pilcher Derek Tangye D. M. Thomas Minack Theatre The Pirates of Penzance Music Cornish bagpipes Brenda Wootton Dalla Fisherman's Friends Crowns Folk songs "Bro Goth agan Tasow" "Camborne Hill" "Come, all ye jolly tinner boys" "Delkiow Sivy" "Hail to the Homeland" "The Song of the Western Men" Language Anglo-Cornish Cornish literature Ordinalia Beunans Meriasek Bewnans Ke Prayer Book Rebellion Radyo an Gernewegva Mythology Beast of Bodmin Blunderbore Bucca Cormoran Cruel Coppinger Jack the Giant Killer Knocker King Arthur Lyonesse Mermaid of Zennor Owlman Piskie Spriggan Organisations Federation of Old Cornwall Societies Gorsedh Kernow Institute of Cornish Studies Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society Royal Cornwall Show Royal Institution of Cornwall (Royal Cornwall Museum) Movyans Skolyow Meythrin Akademi Kernewek Cornwall portal

Taxon identifiers Erica vagans Wikidata: Q1134318 Wikispecies: Erica vagans APDB: 164868 CoL: 6GKZZ EoL: 582111 EPPO: EIAVA EUNIS: 169491 FNA: 250065679 GBIF: 5333408 GRIN: 15498 iNaturalist: 55777 IPNI: 329835-1 IRMNG: 10594766 ITIS: 23651 IUCN: 83753964 NatureServe: 2.135063 NBN: NBNSYS0000003913 NCBI: 270446 NZOR: 9734bb0d-7162-4a34-bf31-9b9c6b766378 NZPCN: 3897 Observation.org: 105073 PfaF: Erica vagans Plant List: kew-2794693 PLANTS: ERVA2 POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:332093-2 RHS: 6690 Tropicos: 12300027 WFO: wfo-0000673518

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