Selbourne Field Guide Entry
Ling
Category:
flora
Ling (Calluna vulgaris)
Aiwok, Wikimedia Commons
(
CC BY-SA 3.0
)
Ling is the principal plant of the heath described by Gilbert White.
It refers to Calluna vulgaris, the common heather, which dominates acid, sandy soils across southern England.
Field Description
A low, woody shrub forming dense mats. In late summer, it produces extensive purple blooms that define the visual character of heathland.
In White’s Landscape
Ling would have covered large areas of the open ground around Selborne, particularly in Woolmer Forest, forming the structural backbone of the heath.
Notes
The term “ling” has survived unchanged into modern ecological usage—one of the few of White’s plant names still in everyday use.