Frost on Gorse bush with spider's web
The gorse bush (ulex europaeus) is prickly and has several names, including furze and whin. It is native to Europe and the United Kingdom. It can grow to approximately three metres high, although in exposed areas it will tend to hug the ground and spread its branches while remaining less than one metre tall. It is a perennial egume which produces deep and extensive roots. All of its stems and leaves are prickly, ending in a sharp spine. It will produce huge numbers of brown to black seeds in grey hairy pods, each pod holding three or four seeds. The seeds have a hard, water resistant coating which allows them to remain dormant in the soil for up to 30 years. The small dark green leaves are stiff and covered with a waxy coat, which helps avoid water loss. The bush is covered with bright yellow, pea-like flowers. It is considered a weed in parts of Australia.
Size: 3518px × 5314px
Location: Park Hall Countryside Park, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
Photo credit: © dean nixon / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: beautiful, beauty, bloom, blooming, bud, bush, close, close-, cold, europaeus, evergreen, fabaceae, fabales, faboideae, flowers, frost, furze, gorse, green, leaves, nature, perennial, pollinate, pollination, sandy, scene, soil, spiders, spikes, spikey, stems, subfamily, thorn, thorney, trifoliate, ulex, web, whin, white, wild, wildflower, winter, yellow
