Gorse

(Ulex europaeus)

 

   

 

Color Drawing: O. W. Thome (1885-1905), Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz.

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

 

Gorse (Ulex europaeus L.)

Alien: Native of Europe.

Identification:  Plant a bushy shrub. Flowers yellow, pealike, showy but compact (standard not flared). Stem wiry, angled. Leaves absent, replaced with elongate, rigid, branched spines. Plant 2 to 6 feet.

Distribution: An escape found from southern New England to Virginia. Also occurs along the Pacific Coast.

Habitat: Gorse is found on sandy soil, usually as an escape from cultivation.

Flowering period: May to September.

Similar Species: The yellow, pealike flowers, bushy habit, and rigid spines are distinctive features of Gorse.

Copyright Nearctica.com, Inc. 2003. All rights reserved.