Aiteann Ghallda
Latin name: Ulex europaeus
Gorse is a very common shrub. Most people in Ireland would know a gorse bush!
It is a spiny, prickly shrub. Gorse grows in grassy areas, hedgerows and along walls. Most fields in Ireland have gorse growing in them!
The shrub has golden yellow flowers. They add lots of colour to hedgerows. There are lots of flowers on gorse in the spring. Gorse is evergreen so it has some flowers all year round.
Did you know?
The flowers smell of coconut!
Gorse bush
Copyright Environmental Protection Agency.
Copyright Environmental Protection Agency.
The flower pods explode when they are ripe. They release the seeds. Listen closely and you might hear a loud pop!
Young gorse shrubs grow oval leaves. They become prickly spines as the shrub grows. The thick gorse bush is a great shelter for birds.
Long ago, gorse was very important to people in the countryside. It was used for thatching roofs. The wood was used as fuel for cooking.