Heath

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Heath is a collective name for plants in the Ericaceae family. The park is home to heather, erica, and rare species such as crowberry and bog-rosemary.

Heather grows in dry, sandy low-nitrogen and low-phosphorus soils. Heather can withstand drought but does not do well in shade. The seeds can only germinate on open ground. This is why young seedlings will never be found under more mature bushes. The flowers are light to dark purple and the shrubs bloom from mid-July to mid-September.

Erica is much more common in wet heaths, such as the Deelensche Veld. This type of heath has rounded lilac flowers and blooms earlier than heather, in June. Erica thrives in sunny to slightly shady areas with moist, nutrient-poor, and acidic soil.

Crowberry, like the other types of heather, is an evergreen shrub. It owes its name to the crows that eat its berries and spread the seeds. The crowberry blooms in April and May with dark purple female flowers and pink male flowers. After blooming, the shrub bears dark purple to black berry-like fruit.

Bog-rosemary is the rarest of the heathers. It lives in meres and moors. The leaves are lanceolate to linear, with a downward curved edge and a blue-green to white underside. The leaves resemble rosemary needles, hence the name. Bog-rosemary blooms from April to June, with pink cup-shaped blossoms.