# Cross-leaved Heath (*Erica tetralix*) Cross-leaved Heath is a lovely little shrub that blooms with pink flowers. It grows in wet places and is a favorite for bees and butterflies, making gardens beautiful and lively! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Wetlands ![Cross-leaved Heath](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/EricaTetralix.jpg&width=800) Photo: Christian Fischer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EricaTetralix.jpg) ## Appearance The Cross-leaved Heath is a small, upright shrub with distinctive grey-green leaves arranged in neat whorls of four. It displays clusters of charming, bell-shaped pink to purplish-pink flowers at the tips of its stems during summer, making it easily spotted in its boggy habitats. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Ericales - **Family:** Ericaceae - **Genus:** Erica ## Interesting facts - It's a super tough plant, happy growing where few others can, like wet, boggy places! - Its leaves have a secret waxy coating, stopping it from losing too much water. - Its name hints at leaves growing in neat groups of four, like a tiny cross! - Look closely! Its tiny pink flowers often have soft hairs, like a cozy, fuzzy blanket. ## Special abilities - **Moisture Keeper:** It has tiny hairs on its leaves and stems, helping it capture and hold precious water in windy, exposed habitats. - **Year-Round Green:** This heath keeps its leaves all year, letting it make food and photosynthesize even during mild winters. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 10-50 cm - **Spread:** 30-60 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.5-0.7 cm - **Bloom Season:** Summer - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** Honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — collects nectar and pollen from its flowers - **Pollinates:** Buff-tailed bumblebee (*Bombus terrestris*) — visits its flowers for nectar and pollen - **Eaten by:** Domestic sheep (*Ovis aries*) — sometimes grazed by sheep in moorland - **Eaten by:** [Roe deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/roe-deer) (*Capreolus capreolus*) — occasionally browsed by deer in heathland areas ## Traits - [Bell-Shaped Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/bell-shaped-flower): Bell-shaped flowers possess petals fused or arranged to form a cup-like or campanulate structure resembling a bell. - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Shrub](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shrub): A shrub is a woody plant smaller than a tree, typically with multiple stems branching from or near the ground. - [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth. - [Evergreen](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/evergreen): Evergreen plants retain their foliage throughout the year, never shedding all their leaves at once. - [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always look but don't touch plants unless an adult says it's okay! ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Cross-leaved Heath? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Cross-leaved Heath? 10-50 cm ### How wide does Cross-leaved Heath spread? 30-60 cm ### How big are the flowers on Cross-leaved Heath? 0.5-0.7 cm ### When does Cross-leaved Heath bloom? Summer ### Is Cross-leaved Heath edible? No ### Is Cross-leaved Heath toxic? None ### What is Cross-leaved Heath's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft National Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/vorpommersche-boddenlandschaft-national-park) — Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, DE · Park - [Naturpark Schwalm-Nette](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/naturpark-schwalm-nette) — Nordrhein-Westfalen, DE · Park - [Berggarten (Hannover)](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/berggarten-hannover) — Niedersachsen, DE · Park - [Bourtanger Moor–Veenland Nature Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/bourtanger-moor-veenland-nature-park) — Niedersachsen, DE · Park - [Naturpark Aukrug](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/naturpark-aukrug) — Schleswig-Holstein, DE · Park - [Naturpark Hohe Mark](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/naturpark-hohe-mark) — Nordrhein-Westfalen, DE · Park [View all places to see Cross-leaved Heath](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/cross-leaved-heath) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Cross-leaved Heath: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/cross-leaved-heath)