Erica is a genus of roughly 857 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. It is a low-growing evergreen shrub growing to 20 to 50 centimetres tall, or rarely to 1 metre and taller and
it is found widely in Europe and Asia Minor on acidic soils in open sunny situations and in moderate shade.