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Flowering Plants
Ulex gallii Planch.
Nomenclature
-
Genus: Ulex
Species:
Ulex gallii Planch.
Usage:
accepted
Vernacular names:
Vernacular name:
Western Gorse
Vernacular name:
Dwarf Furze
SUMMARY
It i s not often realised that in Britain, as well as the familiar European Gorse (Ulex europaeus), two rather smaller species exist. For many years it was assumed that the 'dwarf' gorse that occurred on north Norfok heaths was Dwarf Gorse (Ulex minor), but a closer look in the 1960s revealed that it was in fact Western Gorse. The surprise was that although the latter species is common in western Britain and in Ireland, it is absent from the whole of central Britain. Western Gorse is most easily distinguished from the common species by its bush-like form and its floweringin late summer. It forms stable and attractive associations with Heather (Calluna vulgaris).
Text: Tony Leech