Gorses, Brooms & Allies
What are they?
The gorses, brooms and related species make up the majority of the woody shrubs in the pea family that might be found in East Anglia. They are all rather closely related and share family traits of typical 'pea flowers' and pod-like fruits. The plants are rather variable in other ways and may bear branches that are green and rush-like, be low, creeping species, or carry a formidable armament of spines.
Where are they found?
Some of our native species are common and often dominant on heaths and grassy places, with the spiny gorse in particular being rather troublesome on some nature reserves due to its persistence and rapid growth. Gorses are also widely planted as impenetrable hedges, while some species occur as escapes from cultivation in urban or suburban places.
Identification
These bushy species can readily be identified as a group by a combination of their pea-type flowers and their seed pods. Telling them apat mostly requires taking details of stem type, leaf shape and hairiness of the seed pods.
Common Gorse Ulex europaeus
Native on areas of acidic grassland and heath but also much planted elsewhere. Flowers abundantly in May, but odd flowering branches can be found in any month of the year. Forms a dense, extremely spiny shrub to three metres in height. Leaves on seedlings and young plants are trifoliate but soon drop, leaving spiny, ridged stems. The spines are straight or only slightly recurved. At the base of the flower will be found two, tiny, brown bracteoles, each of which is at least as wide, if not wider than the flower stalk (see photo).
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Western Gorse Ulex gallii
Native on areas of acidic grassland and heath in East Suffolk and central and North Norfolk but rarely found elsewhere. Notable by its absence in Breckland. Flowers July to August. Forms a dense, extremely spiny shrub to 1.5 metres in height. Leaves on seedlings and young plants are trifoliate but soon drop, leaving spiny, ridged stems. The spines are typically clearly recurved. At the base of the flower will be found two, tiny bracteoles, each of which is narrower than the flower stalk. Calyx teeth convergent; calyx 9-13mm long.
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Dwarf Gorse Ulex minor
Although native elsewhere in the UK, this species occurs only as a rare introduction in East Anglia, perhaps where plants have been wrongly identified in cultivation. Planted specimens persist at a handful of sites in the region. Flowers July to September. Forms a low shrub to one metre in height. The spines are typically straight and not as rigid as those of the other gorses. At the base of the flower will be found two, tiny bracteoles, each of which is narrower than the flower stalk. Calyx teeth divergent; calyx 5-9mm long.
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Common Broom Cytisus scoparius
Native. Very common on all but the most alkaline soil. Native on heaths and acid grasslands but also widely planted elsewhere. Flowers May to June. A multi-stemmed, green shrub to two metres in height. Tiny, trifoliate leaves soon drop, leaving green, leafless stems. Flowers predominantly yellow, but other colours occur in cultivation and may sometimes be found in wild plants. Seed pods hairy on the margins, becoming black with age.
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Hairy-fruited Broom Cytisus striatus
Introduced. Rare but persistent where it is planted, perhaps in error for our native broom. Flowers May to June. A multi-stemmed, green shrub to two metres in height. Tiny, trifoliate leaves soon drop, leaving green, leafless stems. Flowers predominantly yellow. Flowers with a wide gap between the calyx teeth (compare with Common Broom). Seedpods woolly-hairy all over, not just on the margins; becoming black with age.
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White Broom Cytisus multiflorus
Introduced from southern Europe. Has been recorded from woodland in West Suffolk. Flowers May to June. Flowers are white or cream-coloured, sometimes with reddish veins. Note that some cultivated varieties of Common Broom can have creamy or white flowers. Leaves all simple, not trifoliate. White Broom can be told from Common Broom by the wing-like edges to the ridges on the stems, making them T-shaped in cross-section. Note that the garden hybrid, Cytisus x praecox is common in cultivation but has not yet been recorded in East Anglia outside of gardens. It may have yellow, cream or white flowers and may differ from White Broom only in having trifoliate leaves on older stems.
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Spanish Broom Spartium junceum
Introduced. Persists where planted and perhaps occasionally self-seeds. More frequent in coastal areas. Flowers May to June. A multi-stemmed, green shrub to three metres in height. Tiny, simple leaves soon drop, leaving stout, rush-like, leafless stems. Flowers predominantly yellow, larger than those of other brooms and heavily-scented. Seedpods long, slightly hairy, becoming black with age.
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Montpellier Broom Genista monspessulana
Introduced. Recorded self-seeding from gardens in Norfolk and Suffolk on a handful of occasions but probably not persisting. Flowers May to June. A multi-stemmed, green shrub to two metres in height. Leaves trifoliate with larger and broader leaflets than those of other brooms. Flowers yellow, in small clusters. Seedpods hairy.
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Dyer's Greenweed Genista tinctoria
Native. Uncommon and largely restricted to protected roadside verges and nature reserves in south-east Norfolk and East Suffolk. Flowers July to September. A low subshrub to around 60cm in height. Leaves simple, up to 3cm in length. Flowers and seedpods hairless, the pods darkening with age.
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Hairy Greenweed Genista pilosa
Formerly native but now extinct in our region. This species is still found as a native in the western UK and is known to have been not uncommon in Breckland but was lost as an East Anglian native during the 19th Century. May still crop up as an escape from cultivation. Flowers May to June. A creeping subshrub to around 40cm in height. Leaves simple, downy beneath, small, usually less than 1cm in length. Flowers and seedpods downy, the pods darkening with age.
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Petty Whin Genista anglica
Native. A scarce and declining species of wet, acid heaths and fen edges, now only found on a few, well-managed sites. Flowers May to June. A low subshrub to around 60cm in height, occasionally taller if growing among taller fen vegetation. Leaves simple, hairless, usually less than 1cm in length, bristle-tipped. Older stems that have lost their leaves reveal slightly recurved spines.
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Spanish Gorse Genista hispanica
Introduced from southern Europe. Widely used in amenity plantings and recorded once or twice as a garden throw-out. Flowers April to May. Forms a dense mound of spiny branchlets to around 60cm in height. Leaves simple, hairy. Old stems persist as a dense, light brown tangle, with green stems and leaves confined to the outer edge of the plant.
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