| Erica arborea Tree heath |
|
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Erica |
| Species: | E. arborea |
| Binomial name | |
| Erica arborea L. |
|
Erica arborea, the tree heath, is a shrub or small evergreen tree found mostly in the macchia-matorral-maquis shrublands, dry evergreen scrublands, surrounding the Mediterranean Basin and west to Portugal and the Canary and Madeira Islands.
There are disjunct areas in Africa including the Ethiopian Highlands, the mountains of Ruwenzori and the Cameroon mountains.
Erica arborea has a typical height of 1-4m (3-12 ft.), with some specimens reaching 7m (21 ft.). The numerous small flowers are white. The tree heath prefers acid soil.
The wood, known as briar root or French bruyère, is an extremely hard and heat-resistant wood used for making smoking pipes and knife handles.
Other tall growing heaths, including the Portugal Heath (Erica lusitanica) may also sometimes be called tree heath.