This heather is a Mediterranean species present in Central Italy, in Liguria and in Sardinia. It grows in open thermophilic woods, maquis and garrigue vegetation on siliceous substrates, especially after repeated fires, which destroy only the aboveground parts, with optimum in the Mediterranean belt. The species is sporadic in the outer belt of the Sardinian temporary ponds, in contact with Mediterranean maquis. The genus name comes from the Greek 'eréiko', which means 'to break', because once the decoction of the flowers was used to crush bladder stones, or because of its ability to penetrate the roots in rocky substrates; the species name refers to the former usage for the construction of brooms. Flowering period: May to June.

Italian name(s): Brivia (Piemonte, Alessandria), Brù (Piemonte, Novara), Bruch (Piemonte, Novara), Bruco (Piemonte, Novara), Bruera (Piemonte, Cuneo), Bruga da spassuie (Liguria, Mele), Bruga domestega (Liguria, Mele), Brughe fumeline (Liguria, Savona), Brughe mapeline (Liguria, Calice, Carbuta), Brugo (Piemonte, Novara), Brugo femmina (Liguria, Porto Maurizio), Bruvera (Calabria), Erica (Basilicata, Potenza), Erica da scope (Italia), Erica scoparia (Italia), Ferrarula (Abruzzi, Teramo), Galencia cu sciuri virdastri (Sicilia), Garnè da cuntaden (Emilia-Romagna, Romagna), Garnè de San Zoan (Emilia-Romagna, Romagna), Ginestra (Piemonte, Torino), Granera (Lombardia, Brescia), Ilica (Calabria), Ruta (Marche), Scheldaforan (Emilia-Romagna, Romagna), Scoa (Veneto, Vicenza), Scopa (Italia), Scopa da bachi (Toscana), Scopa da granate (Toscana), Scopa di granate (Emilia-Romagna, Reggio), Scopa femmina (Toscana), Scopa forcelli (Abruzzi, Teramo), Scopa gentile (Toscana), Scopa gentile (Italia), Scopa miglieta (Piemonte, Cuneo), Scoparella (Calabria), Scoparia (Toscana), Scope de li cocchieri (Campania, Napoli), Scopiglio (Italia), Scopiglio (Marche), Scopilla (Calabria), Scopillo (Roma), Scopillo (Campania, Terra di Lavoro), Scopo (Emilia-Romagna, Reggio), Scopo salvatico (Umbria, Perugia), Scopolare (Calabria), Scova (Emilia-Romagna, Romagna), Scova (Piemonte, Novara), Scovar (Friuli), Scua (Lombardia, Bergamo), Scuntramanu (Campania, Cosenza), Scupa (Campania, Cosenza), Scuvu femmina (Liguria, Valle d'Arroscia), Tuvara (Sardegna), Ulci (Marche), Ulz (Emilia-Romagna, Modena), Uvara (Sardegna).