heath vs heather

heath

noun
  • Many of the species in the genus Cassiope 

  • Any small evergreen shrub of the family Ericaceae. 

  • A tract of level uncultivated land with sandy soil and scrubby vegetation; heathland. 

  • Both species in the genus Daboecia 

  • Any of the species in the genus Leucopogon, beard heath 

  • Coenonympha pamphilus, native to Europe, Asia except tropical India and Indochina, and Northern Africa, the small heath 

  • Many of the species in the genus Erica 

  • Coenonympha tullia, native to Europe, Asia except tropical India and Indochina, and North America, the large heath 

  • Any of the species in the genus Epacris, Australian heath 

  • Any of the species in the genus Phyllodoce, mountain heath 

  • Semiothisa clathrata, a moth known as the latticed heath 

  • Melitaea athalia, the heath fritillary 

heather

noun
  • Various species of the genus Cassiope. 

  • A plant in the family Ericaceae. 

  • Various species of the genus Erica. 

  • A purple colour with a tint of pink and blue. 

  • An evergreen plant, Calluna vulgaris, with spiky leaves and small purple, pink, or white flowers. 

  • The use of interwoven yarns of mixed colours to produce flecks. 

adj
  • Of a purple colour with a tint of pink and blue. 

How often have the words heath and heather occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )