Quick Facts

Scientific name:  Ulex europaeus

Size:  Grows to a height of 200cm

Distribution:  Found throughout the UK

Flowering Months:  All year

Habitat:  Heathland, roadsides, scrubland

Special features:  An evergreen shrub covered with rigid spines.  There are three varieties of gorse found in the UK; the Common Gorse (shown above), the Western Furze (Ulex gallii) and the Dwarf Furze (Ulex minor).  At any time of the year at least one species of gorse is in bloom.

If you stand beside a gorse bush in summer you can hear the seed pods popping open.  The heat of the sun dries them out, and as they crack open they twist and flick the seeds up to three metres from the parent plant.

Related Pages

• UK Safari Wild Flower Section
• UK Safari Plants and Trees Section
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