Erica , is a
genus of roughly 860
species of
flowering plants in the
family Ericaceae. The English common names "heath" and "heather" are shared by some closely related genera of similar appearance. The genus
Calluna was formerly included in
Erica – it differs in having even smaller scale-leaves (less than 2–3 mm long), and the flower
corolla being consisting of separate petals.
Erica is sometimes referred to as "winter (or spring) heather" to distinguish it from
Calluna "summer (or autumn) heather".