Heather

(Erica Arborea). This bush with small, persistent leaves flowers abundantly from March to July in a white-pink colour and can grow up to 4 metres tall. It will accompany us along nearly all of the route. It's a bush that, together with rock-rose, dominates the understorey of cork oaks that have suffered alterations (over-exploitation and fires). They like acid and fresher soils. The wood is very hard and makes very good charcoal. The stumps, once slowly dried, make great tobacco pipes. It is currently dried and worked to make fences and visual screens.