page_title: Epacris impressa
section_title: Cultivars
hierarchical_section_title: Epacris impressa / Cultivation / Cultivars
caption_attribution_description: English: A pink double-flowered form of Epacris impressa Maranoa Gardens, Balwyn, Victoria, Australia. This is labelled as Epacris impressa var. grandiflora 'Double Pink', but I don't think that var.grandiflora is correct for this
context_page_description: Epacris impressa, also known as common heath, is a plant of the heath family, Ericaceae, that is native to southeast Australia. French botanist Jacques Labillardière collected the species in 1793 and described it in 1805. Four forms have been identified, but no subspecies are recognised. Growing in heathland, shrubland or open forest, it is generally a small shrub around 0.5 to 1 m tall, with small stiff leaves. The red, pink or white tube-like flowers appear from late autumn to early spring. Honeyeater birds, particularly the eastern spinebill, feed upon the nectar of the flowers. It regenerates after bushfire by seed or by resprouting.
  A highly regarded garden plant, the common heath was first cultivated in England in 1825; over seventy named cultivars have been developed, most of which have now vanished. A pink-flowered form, often referred to as "pink heath", is the floral emblem of the state of Victoria. Epacris impressa has proven a difficult plant to propagate reliably, which has limited its use in horticulture and revegetation. It grows best in well-drained but moist soil in a semishaded position.
context_section_description: The following forms have been selected and grown for cultivation:
  'Bega'
  This is a form from Bega in southern New South Wales that has bright red flowers and grows to 60 cm (2.0 ft) high. It is regarded as one of the more reliable forms in cultivation. White- and pink-flowered forms from the same region also have horticultural potential.
  'Cranbourne Bells' and other double-flowered forms
  'Cranbourne Bells' is a double-flowered form with pink flower buds fading to white as they open. Registered by the Australian Cultivar Registration Authority in 1988, it occurred naturally near the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne in Victoria, but its habitat has since been cleared. A double-flowered form of Epacris impressa was collected as early as the 1860s in Victoria when Government Botanist Ferdinand von Mueller sent a specimen to Kew Gardens. This was examined by botanist William Hemsley in 1865. The specimen, labelled as Epacris impressa var. pleniflora, originated from Stawell in western Victoria. Another specimen given the same name by Mueller was collected at Nunawading, today a suburb of Melbourne. Charles French, co-founder of the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria, collected a white double-flowered form from Cheltenham south of Melbourne in 1859 and a pink double-flowered form from Dromana on the Mornington Peninsula in about 1862. These were later sent as rooted cuttings to Veitch Nurseries in England. Double-flowered forms of various colours have since been found throughout Victoria, but only single plants have been observed in any location, and they are still regarded as a rarity. A naturally occurring form of the variety grandiflora with rosebud-like double flowers is also grown.
  'Spring Pink'
  A form with deep pink flowers on long spikes, 'Spring Pink' appears in spring. It grows to 60 cm (2.0 ft) high.
caption: Double-flowered pink form
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