Gorse
ulex europaeus
ulex europea
Painting is copyrighted to the artist, Margaret Foster.
AKA
Aiten
Broom
Common Gorse
Frey
Furze
Goss
Irish furze
Prickly Broom
Ruffet
Whin
Furze
In the past, the furze was put to many uses:
- because it ignites quickly, it was used for starting the fire:
it was used for cleaning the chimney and tilling the soil.
Despised by the Farmer,
photographed by the
tourist and known to all,
two species flower at different
times giving impression
of flowering
throughout the year.
Its musky fragrance
is familiar to most but only
if you look
closely will you realise
that it is part of the pea family.
The sound of the mature pod
exploding and catapulting its
fertilized seed
to new ground
can be heard in summer.
They have some astringent property,
containing tannin.
Ants
Ants assist in its
spread as the oily suds
are a favorite on their
menu and later voided
onto new ground.
At mid-summer,
the blazing branches were carried
round the herd
to bring good health
to the cows for the coming year.
Biological Control
of Gorse Using
Gorse Spider mites.
It is a special haunt
for the bees on a sunny summer's
day and the spiders web
on exhibition
here on a autumnal morning is one
of nature's great masterpieces,
methodically and craftily constructed,
some spiders lie in wait for their
prey in the middle of their web.
Others hide close by,
holding on to the web
by a single strand of silk.
Through this the spider can
sense the vibrations caused
as an insect hits the net.
It climbs in quickly and dispatches
the victim with a poisonous bite,
but,
have no fear,
our Doon spiders don't poison people,
however
the 'Black Widow'
in the tropics is quite dangerous.
Another species courteously taps
on a selected female's web
in order
to display his
'passion' for her!
Though the spider has no wings they
can travel many miles by producing
a thread which is caught
by the wind and acts
as a parachute.
Willow Warbler
The tiny willow warbler (half oz),
after its journey from Africa
will liven up the countryside here
from its perch
on the furze
contributing
its delightful warbling.
Its companion here making
"chipping" notes and "showing-off"
flicking its wings and its tail
is the stonechat.
An attractive dome of lichen and moss
deeply lined with feathers
in a thicket
of furze is a tiny longtailed tit's nest.
They are sociable,
keeping company with many other
small birds
as they feed through
a wood, or along a hedge,
flitting
one after another and keeping
up a piping note.
weed guide
Damage
Gorse is extremely competitive, displaces cultivated and native
plants, and impoverishes the soil.
It creates an extreme fire hazard due to its oily, highly flammable
foliage and seeds, and abundant dead material in the plant's center.
It not only increases risk of fire, but produces a hotter fire than most weeds
(MacCarter and Gaynor 1980).
Because of various characteristics of the plant, the soil is often bare
between individual gorse plants, which increases erosion on steep slopes
where gorse has replaced grasses or forbs.
Spiny and mostly unpalatable when mature,
gorse reduces pasture quality where it invades rangeland.
Gorse understory in forests interferes with cultural operations,
increasing pruning and thinning costs (Balneaves and Zabkiewicz 1981).
Its magical powers were undisputed in preventing
the fairies from stealing the butter on May day.
On the domestic front, it was used for dyeing wool and fabric, and as flavoring
for wine and whiskey (may improve its rating with the farmers).
It had medicinal powers for treating ringworm, intestinal worms and cough.
Medicinal Action and Uses
The plant has never played an important part in herbal medicine.
Parkinson tells us that 'some have used the flowers against the jaundice.'
An infusion of the blossoms used to be given to children to drink in scarlet-fever.
Gerard states: 'the seeds are employed in medicines against the stone and staying
of the laske' (laxness of the bowels).
They have some astringent property, containing tannin.
Old writers tell-us that
'sodden with honey, it clears the mouth' and that it 'is good against snake-bite.'
It had an old reputation as an insecticide:
'Against fleas, take this same wort, with its seed, sodden;
sprinkle it into the house; it killeth the fleas.'
In 1886 A. W. Gerrard discovered an alkaloid in the seeds, more powerful
as a purgative than the Sparteine obtained from Cytisus scoparius (Link)
(Pharm. Journal, Aug. 7, 1886).
This was named Ulexine.
In 1890 the German scientist Kobert, as the result of much investigation,
came to the conclusion that Ulexine and Cytisine are identical.
He found indication of a second alkaloid.
The suggestion gave rise to a considerable chemico-physiological discussion
(see Pharm. Journal, Feb. 1891).
Ulexine has been used in cardiac dropsy, the dose being
from 1/15 to 1/20, of a grain.
See:
BROOM
MELILOT
LABURNUM
SOURCE(S)
Bear in mind "A Modern Herbal" was written
with the conventional wisdom of the early 1900's.
This should be taken into account as some of the information may
now be considered inaccurate, or not in accordance with modern medicine.
© Copyright Protected 1995-2003
Biological Control
Dr Bach's Description
Gorse Spider mites
The Twelve Healers and Other Remedies
weed guide
Apache Rain's Place
Full Moon Paradise
Pagan Daily News
12142003
Cin
