Ulex

Ulex (commonly known as gorse, furze, or whin) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The genus comprises about twenty species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. The species are native to parts of western Europe and northwest Africa, with the majority of species in Iberia.

Gorse is closely related to the brooms, and like them, it has green stems and very small leaves, and is adapted to dry growing conditions. However, it differs from the brooms in its extreme thorniness, the shoots being modified into branched thorns 1–4 centimetres (0.4–1.6 inches) long, which almost wholly replace the leaves as the plant's functioning photosynthetic organs. The leaves of young plants are trifoliate, but in mature plants, they are reduced to scales or small spines. All the species have yellow flowers, generally showy, some with a very long flowering season.

Species

The greatest diversity of Ulex species is found in the Atlantic portion of the Iberian Peninsula, and most species have narrow distribution ranges. The most widespread species is the common gorse (Ulex europaeus): it is the only species native to much of western Europe, where it grows in sunny sites and usually on dry, sandy soils. It is also the largest species, reaching 2–3 m (7–10 ft) in height; this compares with typically 20–40 cm (8–16 in) heights for the western gorse (Ulex gallii).