Growing the Common Heath

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Epacris impressa
Common Heath (Floral Emblem of Victoria)
Family Epacridaceae

The generic name Epacris is derived from the Greek 'epi', meaning 'upon', and 'akris', meaning 'a hill', referring to the elevated habitat of some species. The specific name impressa, Latin for 'impressed' or 'indented', refers to five dimples on the outside of the basal part of the floral tube. Epacris contains about forty species of evergreen shrubs which occur mainly in temperate eastern Australia and to a minor extent in New Zealand. The family Epacridaceae, the Australian heath family, is distributed mainly in Australia and New Zealand. It is closely related to the Ericaceae, the much larger heather and azalea family which has a greater occurrence in the Northern Hemisphere.

Common Heath is a slender, upright shrub which grows to about a metre in height. The rigid, alternate leaves are stalkless and fairly narrow. They range from 4 to 16 mm in length and are sharply pointed. The tubular flowers up to 25 mm long are arranged singly in the leaf axils and are often so densely packed around the stem that the cluster of flowers assumes a cylindrical brushlike appearance. On other specimens flowers may be sparse and arranged on only one side of the stem. Flowering occurs from late autumn to late spring, reaching a peak in winter. The fruit is a capsule which splits to release minute seeds. Common Heath has many colour forms including pure white, pale pink, rose pink, crimson, scarlet and rare double flowered forms, but the pink form is the one chosen and proclaimed as Victoria's floral emblem.

The Grampians Heath, Epacris impressa var. grandiflora, which has wider rosy-crimson flowers and coarser downy greyish foliage, is confined to the Grampian Mountains of western Victoria.

Epacris impressa distribution map Common Heath occurs in coastal heathlands as well as in montane and sub-alpine areas. It is distributed from Clyde River, New South Wales to the Mt Lofty Ranges in South Australia. In Victoria it occurs in coastal regions and adjoining foothills, the Grampians and the Little Desert. It is also common in Tasmania.

It is a beautiful shrub worthy of cultivation. It may be propagated from seed which is reported to need storage in cool, dry conditions for 12 to 16 weeks after harvesting and prior to sowing. Seed is sown on the surface of soil in pots and must be kept constantly moist. Germination of seeds and initial growth of seedlings are slow. Transplanting requires care in order to avoid damage to the fine roots. Seeds collected from populations of uniform colour come true but variations in flower colour are noted in the progeny of non-uniform populations. Vegetative propagation of desirable forms is carried out using stem cuttings 7 to 8 cm long, taken below the soft tips in late autumn. Successful results are reported using a medium of fine gravel and peat over a base of milled sphagnum moss. A good root system forms in 9 to 10 months without bottom heating. Rooted cuttings and young plants need gentle handling at all stages to avoid root damage. Common Heath is ideally suited for cool, moist areas in well drained, acidic soils. As individual plants tend to be short-lived, a sequence of plantings is recommended to ensure the retention of this beautiful species in the garden. Pruning overcomes its natural straggly habit and may be used to supply cut flowers for indoor decoration, for which they are attractive and last well.