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Ulex europaeus - L.

Gorse

Author	L.	Botanical references	11, 17, 200
Family	Leguminosae	Genus	Ulex
Synonyms
Known Hazards	None known
Range	Western Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia to Spain.
Habitat	Moors, commons and heaths, preferring dry soils[4, 11].
Edibility Rating	1 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	1 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

A decidious Shrub growing to 1.5m by 1.5m at a fast rate.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Sunny Edge; Hedge;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Flowers.

Edible Uses: Tea.

The flower buds are pickled in vinegar and then used like capers in salads[183]. A tea is made from the shoot tips[177, 183].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Bach.

Gorse has never played much of a role in herbal medicine, though its flowers have been used in the treatment of jaundice and as a treatment for scarlet fever in children[4]. The seed is said to be astringent and has been used in the treatment of diarrhoea and stones[4]. The plant is used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it are 'Hopelessness' and 'Despair'[209].

Other Uses

Dye; Fertilizer; Fuel; Hedge; Insecticide; Pioneer; Soap making; Soil stabilization.

A beautiful yellow dye is obtained from the flowers[4]. It is orange according to another report[168]. Gorse is very tolerant of maritime exposure, it can be used as a windbreak hedge in the most exposed positions, making an impenetrable barrier with its vicious thorns[4, 49, 75, 200]. Planted for soil stabilization on sandy substrates[200], it is very good for stabilizing roadside banks on poor soils[186]. Gorse is an excellent pioneer species for poor soils and areas with maritime exposure. It is fast-growing, feeds the soil with nitrogen and provides good conditions for woodland trees to become established. These trees will eventually out-compete the gorse, which is unable to reproduce well in the shady conditions and will thus gradually die out[K]. The plant has an old reputation as a pesticide, the soaked seed being used against fleas[4]. The wood burns very well, it was much used in the past for kindling, heating bakers ovens etc[11, 66]. The ashes from the burnt wood are rich in potassium and can be used in making soap[4, 115]. This soap can be made by mixing the ashes with a vegetable oil, or mixing them with clay and forming them into balls[4]. The ashes are also an excellent fertilizer[4, 115].

Scented Plants

Flowers: Fresh

The flowers are strongly scented of coconut[K]. Another report says that the flowers have a smell of vanilla with undertones of orange or pineapple[245].

Cultivation details

An easily grown plant, it requires a poor soil and a sunny position to be at its best[11]. It does well on dry sunny banks or in poor gravelly soils[11]. It is intolerant of shade, nor does it do well on rich soils[11, 182]. Prefers a neutral to slightly acid soil[200], disliking alkaline soils[17]. Plants are very intolerant of root disturbance[11]. Very tolerant of maritime exposure and, once established, drought[75, 186, 200]. Although native to Britain and said to be hardy to about -20°c[184], gorse often suffers badly in severe winters[4, 17], but the plants usually recover[186]. They often accumulate dry dead spines at their centre, this can be a fire risk in dry summers[186, 200]. The plants often resprout from the base after a fire[200] and, even if killed, numerous seedlings will soon spring up to replace the dead plants[186]. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[200]. The flowers are strongly scented of coconut[K]. Another report says that the flowers have a smell of vanilla with undertones of orange or pineapple[245]. It is one of the most refreshing of all flower scents[245]. A food plant for the caterpillars of several lepidoptera species[30]. Plants often form dense thickets and these are ideal nesting areas for many species of birds[186]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[200]. 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[200].

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. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them 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[78]. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 7cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Pot up in spring as soon as rooting commences and plant out into their permanent positions as soon as possible[78].

Links

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[30] Carter D. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. Pan 1982 ISBN 0-330-26642-x
An excellent book on Lepidoptera, it also lists their favourite food plants.

[49] Arnold-Forster. Shrubs for the Milder Counties. 0
Trees and shrubs that grow well in Cornwall and other mild areas of Britain. Fairly good, a standard reference book.

[66] Freethy. R. From Agar to Zenery. The Crowood Press 1985 ISBN 0-946284-51-2
Very readable, giving details on plant uses based on the authors own experiences.

[75] Rosewarne experimental horticultural station. Shelter Trees and Hedges. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 1984
A small booklet packed with information on trees and shrubs for hedging and shelterbelts in exposed maritime areas.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[115] Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain. 0
Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.

[168] Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. 1974 ISBN 0-02-544950-8
A very good and readable book on dyeing.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. 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.

[182] Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. 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.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. 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.

[184] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Shrubs. Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30258-2
Excellent photographs and a terse description of 1900 species and cultivars.

[186] Beckett. G. and K. Planting Native Trees and Shrubs. Jarrold 1979
An excellent guide to native British trees and shrubs with lots of details about the plants.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. 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.

[209] Chancellor. P. M. Handbook of the Bach Flower Remedies C. W. Daniel Co. Ltd. 1985 ISBN 85207 002 0
Details the 38 remedies plus how and where to prescribe them.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. 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.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Ulex europaeus

david N Tue Jul 4 09:23:43 2000

An old guy at a pub in Wellington, New Zealand told me he and others used to make Gorse wine and a book called "Simply Living A Gatherers Guide to New Zealand's feilds, forests and shores by Gwen Skinner gives 2 recipies for Gorse wine. I've heard of it elsewhere as well I think.

This is probably the most feared and hated weed in new zealand but native forest revegatators value it highly as a nursery plant.

I think and hope the flowers are edilbe raw, I've nibbled them raw for years and today (10 hours ago) took a large mouthful and swallowed it, it's aroma is actually quite impressive. After doing this I went back to my books to check my souces, only to find they all only refer to pickled flower buds, It is possible I read years ago they are edible raw but can't recall where. They taste pretty good I think. If anyone knows if pickling is essential for safety I'd really like to Know. I feel fine.

Ulex europaeus

R White Thu Jan 18 2007

i live in northumberlan where gorse grows quite alot and i have been told that you can eat the yellow flowers rawi have done so in the past . i first heard this whilst as a young boy on a school trip in the countryside a guide told us we could pick them and try them if we liked

Ulex europaeus

Ken Fern, Plants for a Future Sat Jan 20 2007

A number of people have tried eating the flowers of this plant raw. The flowers certainly have an interesting aroma, very similar to coconut, but we have never been able to find an authenticated account of them being safe to eat. It is quite possible that they are a wholesome food, but it is also possible that the flowers contain small quantities of alkaloids or other potentially harmful substances (many members of this genus do). There are some members of this plant family (I'm particularly thinking of the disease Lathyrism obtained from eating the seeds of certain Lathyrus spp), that contain toxins that can build up in the system if the plant is eaten in large quantities or regularly over a period of time. Therefore, until such time as we obtain evidence one way or the other, we do have to advise people to be careful about eating the flowers, and if you do decide to try them, restrict yourself to just a few.

Ulex europaeus

DC Wilson Sun Jul 6 2008

I see Gorse mentioned on lists of potential oil producing plants for making biodiesel, but I never see any stories about actually making biodiesel from gorse. Please post links about gorse being used to make biodiesel.

Ulex europaeus

Colin Mann Thu Apr 2 2009

Any info about gorse wood? It seems to be very strong, I have seasoned a stem to make a walking stick.

Ulex europaeus

Stephen Tue May 26 2009

If grown from seed how many years before they will flower?

Ulex europaeus

Bartek Splawski Tue Sep 8 2009

I live in Ireland and this fabulous plant is very popular here, in fact it's my favourite plant and I am sad to see it often referred to as a weed. Certainly it's quite an invasive plant and once it sets on fire it will be very hard to put out because of its oily content. This makes gorse a great fuel. I heard it used to be a sacred plant here because of its perseverance, and many uses. E.g. Young shoots can be ground or crushed and fed to horses and kettle. My friend mentioned a whole book about the uses of gorse and I am hoping to have a look at it soon.

Gorse facts

Ulex europaeus

Manoel Wed Jan 6 2010

At least here in Galicia (NW Spain) this plant can grow taller than maximum indicated. I guess 2 meters and even 3 (maybe only some local sub-species?).

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