Gorse

Plant Characteristics

Origin:	✈	?

Cultivation

Exposure:	☼	?"?" is not in the list (sun, part-sun, shade, unknown) of allowed values for the "Exposure" property.
Water:	◍	?"?" is not in the list (wet, moist, moderate, dry, less when dormant) of allowed values for the "Water" property.

Scientific Names

Read about Gorse in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Ulex (ancient Latin name of this or a similar plant). Leguminosae. Furze. Gorse. Whin. Ornamental woody plants grown for their handsome yellow flowers and evergreen appearance. Spiny shrubs: lvs. mostly scale-like, only vigorous shoots near the ground bearing fully developed lvs.: fls. papilionaceous, axillary at the end of the branchlets; calyx 2-lipped, divided nearly to the base; standard ovate, wings and keel obtuse; stamens alternately longer and shorter: pods small, ovoid, few-seeded; seeds strophiolate.—About 20 species in W. and S. Eu. and in N. Afr. Closely allied to Cytisus and chiefly distinguished by the deeply 2-lobed calyx. The fls. yield a yellow dye. Sometimes cult. as a winter fodder plant, in Eu., the green sprigs of one year's growth being eaten. The furzes are much-branched shrubs with dark green spiny branches, usually almost leafless, and with showy yellow papilionaceous flowers which are axillary and often crowded at the ends of the branches. They are not hardy North, but under protection they survive the winters in New England. They are valuable as sand-binders for covering dry sandy banks and are also well suited for seaside planting. On account of their dark green branches they have the appearance of evergreen plants and they are very showy when covered with their yellow flowers. They are also sometimes used for low hedges. They prefer sandy or gravelly porous soil and a sunny position; in rich garden soil they grow more rampant, but do not bloom so well. They should be sown where they are to stand, as they do not bear transplanting well, or if this is not feasible, they should be sown singly in small pots and the plants then planted out in their permanent places. Propagation is by seeds sown in spring after the danger from frost has passed: by greenwood cuttings under glass; or by cuttings of nearly mature wood in early summer in a coldframe under glass, forming roots the following spring. Varieties and rarer kinds are sometimes grafted in spring in the greenhouse on U. europaeus. CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Cultivation

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Propagation

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Pests and diseases

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Gallery

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Gorse. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Gorse QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)