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Gorse (Ulex) comprises a genus of about 20 species of evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae, native to western Europe and northwest Africa, with the majority of species in Iberia. Other common names for "gorse" include whin and furze.

Gorse is closely related to the brooms, and like them, has green stems and very small leaves, adaptations to dry growing conditions, but differs in its extreme spininess, with the leaves being modified into 1-4cm long spines. All the species have yellow flowers, some with a very long flowering season.

The most widely familiar species is the Common gorse (Ulex europaeus), the only species native in of most of western Europe, where it grows in sunny sites, usually on dry, sandy soils. It is also the largest species, reaching 2-3m height; this compares with typically 0.2-0.4m for Western gorse (U. gallii). This latter species is characteristic of highly exposed Atlantic coastal heathland, where a combination of wind strength and salt spray prevents larger plants from growing.

Common gorse flowers most strongly in spring, though it bears some flowers year round, hence the old country phrase: "When gorse is out of blossom, kissing's out of fashion". The flowers have a very distinctive strong coconut scent. Western gorse and Dwarf gorse differ in being almost entirely late summer flowering (August-September in BritainThe word Britain is used to refer to the United Kingdom (UK): i. the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (from 1927), the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ( 1801- 1927) or the United Kingdom of Great Britain ( 1707- 1801).), and also have somewhat darker yellow flowers than Common gorse.

Gorse is a fire-climax plant, very well adapted to stand-replacing fires, being highly inflammable, and having seed pods that are to a large extent opened by fire, thus allowing rapid regeneration after fire. The burnt stumps also readily sprout new growth from the roots. Where fire is excluded, gorse soon tends to be shaded out by taller-growing trees, unless other factors like exposure also apply. Typical fire recurrence periods in gorse stands are 5-20 years.

Gorse thrives best in poor growing areas and conditions; it has been widely used for land reclamation (e.g. mine tailings), where its nitrogen-fixing capacity helps other plants establish better.

It is a valuable plant for wildlife, providing dense thorny cover ideal for protecting bird nests; in BritainThe word Britain is used to refer to the United Kingdom (UK): i. the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (from 1927), the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ( 1801- 1927) or the United Kingdom of Great Britain ( 1707- 1801). and FranceThe French Republic or France ( French: Republique francaise or France is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents., it is particularly noted for supporting European StonechatEuropean Stonechat : Animalia : Chordata : Aves : Passeriformes : Muscicapidae Saxicola rubicola Binomial name ''Saxicola rubicola Linnaeus, 1766) The European Stonechat ''Saxicola rubicola is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member os and Dartford WarblerDartford Warbler : Animalia : Chordata : Aves : Passeriformes : Sylviidae : Sylvia : undata Binomial name Sylvia undata Boddaert, 1783) The Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata is an Old World warbler which breeds in the warmer parts of south west Europe and nos.

In many areas of North AmericaNorth America is the third largest continent in area and the fourth ranked in population. It is bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific Ocea, southern South America, Australia and New Zealand, the Common gorse, introduced as an ornamental plant, has become naturalised and an invasive weed due to its aggressive seed dispersal; it has proved very difficult to eradicate.