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Fabaceae FAMILY

Ulex parviflorus

Ulex parviflorus

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub
GrowthFast

Ulex parviflorus is a moderately cold-hardy plant, able to tolerate temperatures down to around -15°c when fully dormant[1]. It grows best in areas with hot summers. Requires a poor soil and a sunny position, doing well on dry sunny banks or poor gravelly soils[2]. Succeeds on land that is too dry and barren for most plants[1]. Intolerant of shade, nor does it do well on rich soils[2, 3]. Prefers a neutral to slightly acid soil[1], disliking alkaline soils[4]. Plants are very intolerant of root disturbance[2]. Very tolerant of maritime exposure and, once established, drought[5, 6]. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[1]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[1]. 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[1].

Propagation

Seed - pre-soak 24 hours in hot water and sow in individual pots in a greenhouse in late winter to early spring. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. Grow the seedlings 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[7]. 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[7]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Ulex+parviflorus>

Pollinators

Bees, Flies, Beetles

References

  1. [1]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.
  2. [2]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.
  3. [3]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.
  4. [4]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.
  5. [5]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.
  6. [6]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.
  7. [7]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.
  8. [8]Flora Iberica — http://www.floraiberica.es ↩︎Published in book form, the treatments of the various species have also been released on-line in PDF format. Records entered here are all from the on-line PDFs.