“When gorse is out of blossom, kissing’s out of fashion” – a well-known folk saying.

Gorse on Kelling heath, Norfolk

I bring good news: kissing is very much in fashion at the moment, judging by the gorse in flower on the heaths of North Norfolk.

A mass of bright yellow gorse flowers, wafting their delicious coconut scent across the heathland, is one of the treats of spring. According to Richard Mabey in ‘Flora Britannica’ (Sinclair-Stevenson 1996), the Swedish naturalist Linnaeus reputedly fell to his knees and thanked God when he first saw Gorse on an English common.

Common Gorse, Ulex europaeus, is common in disturbed areas, such as heaths, grasslands and forest margins. It is a shrubby member of the Pea family, the Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae) which grows to about two metres tall and is covered in dense spines (unlike its relative Common Broom, Cytisus scoparius, which is found in similar places). It generally flowers between January and June.

Gorse is excellent for wildlife and provides dense cover for nesting birds such as Yellowhammers, Linnets, Stonechats and Dartford Warblers, as well as a nectar source for insects early in the year when little else is in flower. One of Gorse’s alternative names is ‘furze’ and this has led to the Dartford Warbler’s other name of ‘furze wren’.

Gorse has also been very useful for humans, providing fuel, cattle and horse food (in spite of the spines) and brooms. Gorse ashes make a good fertiliser. The flowers have been used to dye Easter eggs. The Plants For A Future website says that the buds can be pickled in vinegar and then used like capers in salads, and the shoot tips can be used to make a tea. The flowers are used in Bach flower remedies to treat ‘Hopelessness’ and ‘Despair’. (I find just looking at the flowers cures me of this.) Many of our surviving heathlands, such as at East Ruston and Buxton Heath in Norfolk  survive because they were set aside as ‘Poor Allotments’ at the time of enclosure.

Bacteria in the roots fix nitrogen and enable the plant to grow in places with low soil fertility. Gorse is a great colonist and after it has improved the soil trees will be able to colonise the heathland and will eventually shade out the Gorse. Cutting back gorse from time to time will reinvigorate it and make it a better wildlife habitat.

Gorse has been introduced to many parts of the world. Where it has been introduced, it can be very invasive and it is a serious pest in Australia. 

Common Gorse, Ulex europaeus, has two close relatives in Britain, both of which flower later in the summer (usually July – November). Western Gorse, Ulex gallii, is frequent in the western half of Britain and occurs along the East Anglian coast. (This article by Gill Smith gives a useful summary of the differences between Westen and Common Gorse.)  Dwarf Gorse Ulex minor, is a low growing, sprawling sub-shrub, covered in short spines. It is found on heaths in central southern and eastern Britain. The extended flowering time of our three native species of gorse is probably the reason why kissing never goes completely out of fashion.

Common Gorse