Common Gorse facts

While investigating facts about Common Gorse Plants and Common Gorse Seeds, I found out little known, but curios details like:

Common gorse tolerates fire because it stimulates germination of seed and re-sprouting of the plant from the root. Dry branches and pods of common gorse are highly flammable and they are often used as a firewood in bread ovens.

how to grow common gorse?

Common gorse has edible flowers. They can be consumed in the form of tea or preserved in vinegar (like capers). Flowers can be also used as flavoring agents (especially for various types of fruit wines).

In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across. Here are 15 of the best facts about Common Gorse Ulex Europaeus and Common Gorse Edible I managed to collect.

what is special about common gorse?

1. Crushed, finely chopped or ground branches of common gorse represent important source of food for cattle and feral ponies in some parts of Europe.

2. Common gorse can bloom all year round (flowering reaches the peak during the spring and autumn). Flowers emit pleasant coconut-like scent which attracts various insects responsible for the pollination.

3. Common gorse produces large number of golden yellow flowers arranged on the long flowering stalks. Flowers contain both types of reproductive organs (perfect flowers).

4. Gorse pod moths and weevils like to eat pods of common gorse. These insects are used as biological weapons against common gorse in areas where this plant grows in abundance.

5. Name "gorse" originates from Old English word "gorst", which was used to describe uncultivated areas, where this plant usually grows.

6. Common gorse propagates via seed which retains ability to germinate up to 30 years.

7. Common gorse is spiny shrub that can reach 7 to 10 feet in height.

8. Common gorse is perennial plant that can survive around 30 years in the wild.

9. Wood of common gorse is used for the manufacture of small items, usually for the garden, because they do not rot after exposure to high humidity.

10. Common gorse has elongated, linear leaves with sharply pointed tips. Leaves are dark green or grey-green colored and alternately arranged on the branches.

Last common ancestor why?

You can easily fact check universal common ancestor why by examining the linked well-known sources.

Flowers of common gorse can be used as a source of yellow dye.

Dense, thorny branches of common gorse provide shelter for small mammals such as rabbits. Birds, such as warblers, stonechat and whinchat, nest among the branches of common gorse.

Fruit of common gorse is egg-shaped, hairy seed pod filled with 2 to 3 seed. Ripe pod explosively splits and ejects seed up to 15 feet away.