Japanese name: カルーナ Scientific name:Calluna vulgaris
[Overview]
An evergreen shrub 20–50 cm tall.
It branches well and forms a dense, rounded shape.
The leaves are simple and decussate, scale-like and 0.2–0.3 cm long, so they resemble conifers such as hinoki (Japanese cypress).
There are cultivars with various leaf colors.
The flowers are borne in the leaf axils at the branch tips, forming racemes 10–20 cm long overall.
Both the corolla and calyx are 4-lobed, but the corolla is only half the length of the calyx, so the calyx is more conspicuous and petal-like.
The flowers are pinkish purple, but white and purple also occur.
There are 8 stamens.
The fruit is a capsule.
[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings or division.
It prefers a cool climate and is cold-hardy, but is weak in hot, humid summers.
It prefers a sunny, airy, well-drained, lean, weakly acidic soil.
It dislikes excess moisture but is also weak against drying out.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
Fertilizer is not particularly needed.
To prevent the plant from becoming stuffy in midsummer, it is good to cut it back hard before the rainy season and tidy its shape.
There are no particular pests or diseases.
