Ulex europaeus L.
(Gorse, Furze, Whin)

Taxonomic hierarchy:
SpeciesUlex europaeus (Gorse, Furze, Whin)
GenusUlex (gorses)
SubfamilyFABOIDEAE (vetches, peas and beans)
FamilyFABACEAE (vetches, peas, beans, accacias, wattles and sennas)
OrderFABALES (vetches, peas, beans and milkworts)
SubclassEU-DICOTS (dicotyledonous flowering plants)
ClassMAGNOLIOPSIDA (flowering plants)
PhylumTRACHEOPHYTA (vascular plants)
KingdomPLANTAE (plants)
DomainEukaryota (eukaryotes)
LifeBIOTA (living things)
Records of Ulex europaeus (Gorse, Furze, Whin) :
1: Ulex europaeus (Gorse, Furze, Whin)
22 Mar 2016 OSGR: SU00 50° 50’ N, 1° 50’ W Vice County: Dorset (VC 9) England
in flower . Photos: pollen
Image 1: FlowersImage 2: Flowers (2)Image 3: Flowers (3)Image 4: Flowers (4)Image 5: Flowers (5)Image 6: Flowers (6)Image 7: Pollen - magnifiedImage 8: Pollen - magnified (2)Image 9: Pollen - magnified (3)Image 10: Pollen - magnified (4)Image 11: Pollen - highly magnifiedImage 12: Pollen - highly magnified (2)Image 13: Pollen - highly magnified (3)Image 14: Pollen - highly magnified (4)
2: Ulex europaeus (Gorse, Furze, Whin)
10 Apr 2005 OSGR: SY59 50° 50’ N, 2° 40’ W Vice County: Dorset (VC 9) England
Image 1: Small plant - in situImage 2: Small plant - in situ - contra jour
3: Ulex europaeus (Gorse, Furze, Whin)
26 Apr 2003 OSGR: SY98 50° 40’ N, 2° 0’ W Vice County: Dorset (VC 9) England
Image 1: Plant in flowerImage 2: Plants in flower
4: Ulex europaeus (Gorse, Furze, Whin)
26 Jun 2002 OSGR: SY59 50° 50’ N, 2° 40’ W Vice County: Dorset (VC 9) England
Image 1: BushImage 2: Spiny shootImage 3: Top view of small plantImage 4: Fruiting calyxImage 5: FruitsImage 6: Ripening fruitImage 7: ShootImage 8: Shoot (2)Image 9: Shoot (3)Image 10: Shoot (4)Image 11: Shoot (5)Image 12: Small branch
5: Ulex europaeus (Gorse, Furze, Whin)
20 May 2001 OSGR: SU56 51° 20’ N, 1° 10’ W Vice County: Berks (VC 22) England
Seedlings with trefoil leaves on recently disturbed soil
Image 1: Seedling leavesImage 2: SeedlingsImage 3: Seedlings (2)
6: Ulex europaeus (Gorse, Furze, Whin)
24 Apr 2000 OSGR: SU46 51° 20’ N, 1° 20’ W Vice County: Berks (VC 22) England
Image 1: Banks of gorse in bloom in AprilImage 2: Gorse in bloom in AprilImage 3: Two bushes with slightly different flower colour.
7: Ulex europaeus (Gorse, Furze, Whin)
8 Apr 2000 OSGR: SU46 51° 20’ N, 1° 20’ W Vice County: Berks (VC 22) England
Image 1: FlowersImage 2: Flowers (2)Image 3: PlantImage 4: Plant (2)
8: Ulex europaeus (Gorse, Furze, Whin)
31 Jan 1999 OSGR: SU56 51° 20’ N, 1° 10’ W Vice County: Berks (VC 22) England
Image 1: Flower budImage 2: Flower cluster - from belowImage 3: Flower - from aboveImage 4: Flower - from belowImage 5: Flowering shootImage 6: Flowering stalk - from belowImage 7: Flower - LSImage 8: Flower - side viewImage 9: Shoot of limited growthImage 10: Shoot of limited growth (2)Image 11: PollenImage 12: Pollen (2)Image 13: Pollen (3)Image 14: Pollen - collapsed grain at two levels of focus
9: Ulex europaeus (Gorse, Furze, Whin)
9 Apr 1971 OSGR: TG12 52° 50’ N, 1° 10’ E Vice County: East Norfolk (VC 27) England
Seedling
Image 1: Seedling
10: Ulex europaeus (Gorse, Furze, Whin)
25 Dec 1970 OSGR: TQ20 50° 50’ N, 0° 10’ W Vice County: East Sussex (VC 14) England
Flowering in the snow
Image 1: Flower - enlargedImage 2: Flower - enlarged (2)
11: Ulex europaeus (Gorse, Furze, Whin)
24 May 1969 OSGR: TL77 52° 20’ N, 0° 30’ E Vice County: West Suffolk (VC 26) England
Image 1: FlowersImage 2: Plant

Ulex europaeus (Gorse, Furze, Whin) may be included in identification literature listed under the following higher taxa:

NBNNBN (data.nbn.org.uk) has a distribution map for Ulex europaeus (Gorse, Furze, Whin)
BioInfoBioInfo (www.bioinfo.org.uk) has 103 host/parasite/foodplant and/or other relationships for Ulex europaeus (Gorse, Furze, Whin)

Ulex gallii and Ulex europaeus are morphologically very similar. The simplest way to distinguish them is by the flowering times: U. gallii flowers late summer and autumn (7-9) whereas U. europaeus flowers winter and spring (3-6) and may even be out by Christmas.

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