Erica carnea

Winter heath is a species of flowering plant in the heath or Ericaceae family native to mountainous areas of central, eastern and southern Europe.

It is a low-growing, spreading subshrub reaching 10–25 cm tall, with evergreen needle-like leaves 4–8 mm long, in whorls of four.

• Flower is a slender bell-shape, 4–6 mm long, dark reddish-pink, rarely white, produced in racemes in late winter to early spring, often starting to flower while the plant is still covered in snow..