2007-01-30 01:50:01 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Botany
What a great question!
Herbaceous plants are usually defined by the fact that they die back during the winter, their soft foliage not being frost hardy. And yet, way back in mists of English history most plants were "herbs" as nearly all plants that were cultivated were cultivated for their herbal usefulness, either medicinally or culinary. Interestingly if a plant's Latin name includes "officinalis" it has some herbal usage, like "paeonia officinalis".
Nowadays we broadly call any plant that's soft and knocked off, or down, by the frost herbaceous, most flowers in a herbaceous bed however are perennial.
Heather (Erica) has herbal uses apparently, including being used as a diuretic. So in today's terminology it is a herb in that sense. However it has woody structure that remains above ground during the winter, so it is not herbaceous, it is a shrub (a woody plant).
If you want my vote, it's a shrub. Well The RHS call them a "genus of over 700 species of prostrate to tree-like, evergreen shrubs." Who am I to argue with the hallowed body of the RHS?
Hope that helps a bit.
2007-01-30 05:06:50 · answer #1 · answered by Ian. Garden & Tree Prof. 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Woody plant.
2007-01-30 09:57:28 · answer #2 · answered by lou b 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Shrub
2007-01-30 09:59:43 · answer #3 · answered by James B 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is an evergreen bushy shrub, small tree, bush which ever you prefer to think if it as, but nothing herbal about it.
2007-01-30 09:56:24 · answer #4 · answered by dsclimb1 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
here in England heather is known as a money grabbing witch who is divorcing paul McCartney...
2007-01-30 09:57:50 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋