Definition of "Heather"

She struck his fancy - that pretty girl with the quaint name: sweet Heather Bell, as Mr. Travers always called her."The name was a fancy of her godfather, an eccentric bachelor," the lady explained. " She was the youngest of three daughters, and the other two were called, respectively, 'Lily' and 'Rose'. 'Call this one Heather,' said Mr. Stewart, who loved Scotland and her purple mountains, 'she will grow up like the heather, perhaps - strong, hardy, a wild flower, worth of a hundred of your garden rarities.'

1867, J.H.Riddell, Far Above Rubies, Bernhard Tauchnitz, page 50

"I like Hazel and Heather," Angel said, after a while. "They're both names of plants, so they sort of go with Rose.""I don't have no plant, I got a little girl," Rose Rose said, smiling.

2001, John Irving, The Cider House Rules, Ballantine Books, page 506