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Ulex europaeus
Fabaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Ulex europaeus

Ulex europaeus

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub
GrowthFast

Gorse is native to the temperate zone in western Europe, but has spread widely through the temperate zone and into the subtropics and at generally higher elevations in the tropics, where it is said to grow at elevations up to 3,000 metres or more. It is said to be hardy to about -20°c[1], though it often suffers badly in severe winters[2, 3], but the plants usually recover[4]. An easily grown plant, it requires a poor soil and a sunny position to be at its best[5]. It does well on dry sunny banks or in poor gravelly soils[5]. It is intolerant of shade, nor does it do well on rich soils, where it can be out-competed by other species[5, 6]. Prefers a neutral to slightly acid soil, growing well where the pH is around 4 - 5[7, 8], and disliking alkaline soils[3]. Plants are very intolerant of root disturbance[5]. Very tolerant of maritime exposure and, once established, drought[9, 4, 7]. A fast-growing plant that can sometimes spread quickly by seeds and form thickets. Plants are very tolerant of pruning and can resprout freely from old wood. They usually get top-killed by fire but, except in severe fires, will usually grow back quickly from the base as well as regenerating by seed in the soil[10]. Plants often accumulate dry dead spines at their centre, this can be a fire risk in dry summers[4, 7]. The plants often resprout from the base after a fire[7] and, even if killed, numerous seedlings will soon spring up to replace the dead plants[4]. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[7]. The flowers are strongly scented of coconut[PFAF]. Another report says that the flowers have a smell of vanilla with undertones of orange or pineapple[11]. It is one of the most refreshing of all flower scents[11]. A food plant for the caterpillars of several lepidoptera species[12]. Plants often form dense thickets and these are ideal nesting areas for many species of birds[4]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[7]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[7].

Propagation

Seed - it normally self-sows freely and does not need help. The seed can be pre-soaked for 24 hours in hot water that is allowed to cool and then either sown in situ or sown in individual pots in a greenhouse in late winter to early spring. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. Grow the potted plants on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Plants are very intolerant of root disturbance and so should be planted into their permanent positions as soon as possible, though not until after the last expected frosts[13]. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 7cm with a heel, mid summer in a frame. Pot up in spring as soon as rooting commences and plant out into their permanent positions as soon as possible[13]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Ulex+europaeus>

Pollinators

Bees, Flies, Beetles

References

  1. [1]Shrubs. — Phillips. R. & Rix. M. · Pan Books · 1989 · ISBN 0-330-30258-2 ↩︎Excellent photographs and a terse description of 1,900 species and cultivars.
  2. [2]A Modern Herbal. — Grieve. · Penguin · 1984 · ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 ↩︎Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
  3. [3]Flora of the British Isles. — Clapham, Tutin and Warburg. · Cambridge University Press · 1962 · ISBN - ↩︎A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
  4. [4]Planting Native Trees and Shrubs. — Beckett. G. and K. · Jarrold · 1979 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent guide to native British trees and shrubs with lots of details about the plants.
  5. [5]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  6. [6]Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. — Thomas. G. S. · Murray · 1992 · ISBN 0-7195-5043-2 ↩︎Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.
  7. [7]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  8. [8]Invasive Species Compendium — http://www.cabi.org ↩︎An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc).
  9. [9]Shelter Trees and Hedges. — Rosewarne experimental horticultural station. · Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food · 1984 · ISBN - ↩︎A small booklet packed with information on trees and shrubs for hedging and shelterbelts in exposed maritime areas.
  10. [10]Fire Effects Information System — http://www.feis-crs.org/feis/ ↩︎An on-line information site with comprehensive information on over 1,100 species of plant. Mainly developed to supply information on the effects of fire on plants and animals, it also contains a wealth of other information on the plants
  11. [11]Scented Flora of the World. — Genders. R. · Robert Hale. London. · 1994 · ISBN 0-7090-5440-8 ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
  12. [12]Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. — Carter D. · Pan · 1982 · ISBN 0-330-26642-x ↩︎An excellent book on Lepidoptera, it also lists their favourite food plants.
  13. [13]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  14. [14]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  15. [15]Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications · 1990 · ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 ↩︎Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
  16. [16]Plants for Human Consumption. — Kunkel. G. · Koeltz Scientific Books · 1984 · ISBN 3874292169 ↩︎An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
  17. [17]Handbook of the Bach Flower Remedies — Chancellor. P. M. · C. W. Daniel Co. Ltd. · 1985 · ISBN 85207 002 0 ↩︎Details the 38 remedies plus how and where to prescribe them.
  18. [18]Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. — Grae. I. · MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. · 1974 · ISBN 0-02-544950-8 ↩︎A very good and readable book on dyeing.
  19. [19]The Useful Plants of Great Britain. — Johnson. C. P. ↩︎Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.
  20. [20]From Agar to Zenery. — Freethy. R. · The Crowood Press · 1985 · ISBN 0-946284-51-2 ↩︎Very readable, giving details on plant uses based on the authors own experiences.
  21. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎