Pink heath

A typical pink heath in flower

Pink heath (Epacris impressa or the common heath) is the official state flower of Victoria. The plant is a small spiky shrub that grows to approximately 2.5m high if left undisturbed. It is more usually about 50cm in height. The 8-16mm long leaves are stalkless, oval to lanceate, sharply pointed and crowded closely on the stems.

Australian heath is also found with red and white flower colours, but pink is by far the commonest. The five-lobed bell-shaped flowers grow in dense clusters near the ends of the plants tall stems, virtually year-round. The plant can be grown in a garden environment, and it prefers wet soils typical of its natural heath and woodland environment.

Heath is a member of the Ericaceae family of plants.

A small prostrate red heath growing in harsh conditions