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Ulex minor Roth

Dwarf Gorse

Modern name

Ulex minor Roth

Synonyms

U. nanus T. F. Forster ex Symons

A dwarf shrub of dense, close habit, sometimes procumbent in the wild, but changing its character when introduced to the garden, and sending up slender, erect branches, 1 to 2 ft long in a single season; branchlets hairy. Leaves and branchlets as in U. europaeus, only smaller and less rigid. Flowers golden yellow, about half the size of common gorse, the calyx not hairy but slightly downy; wing-petals straight, shorter than the keel. Pods 12 in. long, hairy.

Native of W. Europe, and abundant in many parts of Great Britain. Although some botanists profess to find it a variety of U. europaeus, it is really very distinct. It is autumn-flowering, being at its best in September, when the ordinary gorse is in seed. This is its most valuable characteristic in gardens, for its long, slender stems set with flowers are often very pretty when few other shrubs are in blossom. But it needs a poor dry soil to develop its greatest beauty. In rich garden soil it gets to be 6 ft high, and very lanky.


Genus

Ulex

Other species in the genus