Side by side

Cross-leaved heath or winter heath? How to tell them apart

Erica tetralix · Erica carnea

How to tell them apart – cross-leaved heath: greyish-green, hairy leaves and flowering in summer, on wet, acid soil; winter heath: low, evergreen heath that flowers pink, purple or white in the middle of winter, with dark anthers sticking out of the bells.

Updated on 10 October 2026

Photo: Frank Vassen from Brussels, Belgium, CC BY 2.0 · source

Cross-leaved heath Erica tetralix

Photo: Heinz Staudacher, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Winter heath Erica carnea

How do you recognise them?

Cross-leaved heath: Low heath of wet heathland, with grey-green needle leaves in whorls of four and pink bells in small clusters.; Compared with winter heath: greyish-green, hairy leaves and flowering in summer, on wet, acid soil.
Winter heath: Low, evergreen heath that flowers pink, purple or white in the middle of winter, with dark anthers sticking out of the bells.

Cross-leaved heath and winter heath side by side
	Cross-leaved heath	Winter heath
Leaves	Needle-like leaves of 3–5 mm in whorls of four, grey-green with glandular hairs.	Needle-like, 4–8 mm, hairless and dark green, in whorls of four.
Flowering	Pink, egg-shaped bells in small clusters at the shoot tips, June–September (June–September).	Urn-shaped bells (5–6 mm) in one-sided spikes, December–April, with protruding brown anthers. The buds are already formed in summer (January–April).
Fruit	Small capsules.	Small capsules.
Bark	Thin, hairy stems.	Thin, trailing to ascending stems.
Shape and height	Dwarf shrub, 20–50 cm	Dwarf shrub, 15–30 cm
Site	Full sun, acid soil, moist to wet	Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, normal
Native to Belgium	Yes	No, planted
Good for bees, butterflies and birds	Yes, for bees and butterflies	–
Poisonous to people and pets	Not known to be poisonous	Not known to be poisonous
Pruning months	March–April	April–May

What does it mean for your garden?

Cross-leaved heath is native: it feeds more insects and birds than a non-native species. If in doubt, choose this one.

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All species that look alike

This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.