Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Perennial
Shrub
Origin
Eastern Europe, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Northwestern China, Russia
Europe, Morocco, Western Asia
Types
-
-
Number of Varieties
40700
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Banks
Boggy areas, Dry and Young forest Heaths, Mountain Slopes, Temperate Regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
3-85-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
8-1
8-5
Sunset Zone
A1, A2, A3, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
A1, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 15, 16, 17
Habit
Upright/Erect
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm10.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.40 cm610.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red, Orange, Rose, Salmon, Peach, Orange Red
White, Red, Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Brown
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Gray Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green, Gray Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green, Gray Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
Gray Green, Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Ovate elongated
Needle like
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer
Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Divison, Seedlings
Divison, Seedlings, Stem Cutting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do not let dry out between waterings
Average Water Needs
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Pruning
In late autumn, Remove deadheads
Prune in early summer, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Ammonium Nitrate
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Red blotch, Slugs
Armillaria mellea, Chlorosis, Crown rot, Powdery mildew, Root rot, Rust, Verticillium Wilt
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought, Dry soil, Shade areas, Wet Site
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single, Double, Semi-Double
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Bees, Butterflies, Moths
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Beautification, Bouquets, Cottage Garden, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
Skin inflammation
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Food for animals, Food for insects
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Arthritis, Bladder Infection, Colic, Diarrhea, Gout, Inflammation, Kidney Stones, Rheumatism, Stomach pain, Urinary tract problems
Part of Plant Used
Whole plant
Flowers
Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant
Can be made into a herbal tea, Food for animals, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Feature Plant, Mixed Border
Container, Cutflower, Edging, Foundation, Groundcover, Mixed Border, Rock Garden, Wall
Botanical Name
LYCHNIS chalcedonica
CALLUNA vulgaris
Common Name
Maltese cross, Jerusalem cross, Burning love, Dusky salmon
Heather, Common heather, Ling
In Hindi
Maltese cross
हीथ
In German
Malteserkreuz
Heidekraut
In French
Maltese cross
bruyère
In Spanish
cruz de Malta
brezo
In Greek
σταυρό της Μάλτας
ερείκη
In Portuguese
cruz de Malta
urze
In Polish
krzyż maltański
wrzos
In Latin
Duces crucis
Heather
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Ericales
Family
Caryophyllaceae
Ericaceae
Genus
Lychnis
Calluna
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
Ericeae
Subfamily
-
Ericoideae
Number of Species
200860
1
27800
👆🏻