Family: Fabaceae
European Gorse Ulex europaeus Flowering time: All year, the peak flowering in April. Evergreen shrub. Habitat: Drier acidic soils, grasslands, heaths and wood edges The two-lipped yellow flowers are strongly coconut-scented. Very spiny shrub, the spines more deeply furrowed than those of Western or Dwarf Gorse. Young plants have tri-foliate leaflets. Hybrids occur with Western Gorse, U. gallii and Dwarf Gorse, U. minor |
Gorse, Ulex europaeus
Holton Lee and Studland Heath, Dorset. October 2012 and April 2013