The Common Heath

Victoria's floral emblem is the Common (Pink) Heath, (Epacris impresa Labill.).

It was first documented by the French explorer Labillardière who found it in Tasmania in 1793.

It is a slender shrub, usually 0.2 to 1 metre high, with a few erect branches and with bell-like flowers ranging in colour from white through pink to red. Frequently all flowers point in the same direction.

The Common (Pink) Heath is frost-hardy and flowers through winter and spring, although some flowers have been recorded as early as March.

These attractive flowering plants make a colourful display in many of Victoria's winter gardens. They attract the Eastern Spinebill, which hovers in front of the flowers and is well-adapted to their pollination.