Wikimedia Commons
Fabaceae
Common Gorse
Ulex europaeus
Enduring love.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Genus
- Ulex
- Native to
- Western Europe
- Bloom season
- Winter, Spring, Fall
- Type
- shrub
- Height
- 3-8 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- dry, poor, acidic, sandy or rocky
- Water
- low
- Hardiness
- 6-9
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- A famous botanical saying holds that 'when gorse is out of bloom, kissing is out of season' — because gorse flowers in virtually every month of the year.
- The explosive seed pods crack open in summer heat with an audible pop, flinging seeds up to 15 feet — a sound commonly heard on sunny heathlands.
- Gorse fires burn at extreme temperatures because the plant contains oils and resins; after a fire, it resprouts vigorously from the root crown.
- Young shoots and flowers are edible and mildly coconut-scented; gorse flowers are used in wine-making and as a garnish in modern cuisine.
- The dense, spiny thickets provide impenetrable nesting habitat for stonechats, Dartford warblers, and other heathland birds across Europe.
Color meanings
0
love
1
protection
2
luck in adversity