Subject: information about gorse

From: [email-masked] (Bill Apgar)
Date: 3 Apr 1994 21:40:39 GMT

Have any of you any information to share about a plant called "gorse?"

Gorse (Ulex europaeus, U.gallii, U. minor), also known as furze
or whin, covers vast heathland arfeas in Great Britain and Ireland.

"In Europe U. europaeus is sometimes cultivated for for cattle
bedding, hedges to enclose livestock, and for fodder, however,
it is not widely used as fodder because of its spiny nature and
alkaloid content.  It was introduced into Hawaii and various South
Pacific areas for use as a 'living fence.' It is not uncommon for
plants to escape and bexome a nuisance difficult to eradicate.

"U. europaeus occurs along the coastal srtips of the North Atlantic
and North Pacific United States, where is serves as a sandy soil
binder.  In addition to its tendency to form an impenetrable barrier
under good growth conditions, gorse is highly inflammable and burns
with explosive force.

"The town of Bandon, Oregon owed its destruction by fire in 1936
to gorse that had been featured as an ornamental by the early
inhabitants (Holbrook 1936).  Sparks from a nearby forest fire
ignited the gorse along the streets and in fields adjoining the
town.  The town of 1800 people was destroyed in less than 5 hours."

"Recent (?) studies confirm the presence of anagyrine and cytisine
in plant parts of 3 species."

----

I would like some information about Bandon, Oregon (which is a
coastal town), and in particular any history of the fire, and if
there is any mention of the the use of gorse as an ornamental, 
something about that as well.

I presume that this plant has a bloom -- and I would like a
description (color, petal number and arrangement structure of
thorns.) 

Some additional information follows.  If you have any linkages
(folklore, placenames, anecdotes, etc.) these would also be
valuable to me.  Plant chemistry (effects on people, animals)
info would also be appreciated.

======

gorse. AS. gorst (still as surname); cogn. with Ger. gerste,
barley and L. hordeum. The bush of Mark, xii. 26 is rendered
by AS. gorstbeam.       from 'An  Etymological Dictionary of
Modern English,' by Ernest Weekley.

-------
The following citations from 'The Penguin Dictionary of
Surnames,' by Basil Cottle.

Fursdon  L 'furzy hill' OE; place in Cornwall.

Furse(man),  Furze(man), L 'one who lives in a furzy land'
OE; place in Cornwall. Furse and Furze  found early and
currently in Devon.

Fursey, L 'furzy enclosure (see Hay)' OE. Found early in
Dorset, just as Forsey is now.

-------
Following citation from 'A Field Guide to Wildflowers,' by
Roger Tory Peterson and Margaret McKenny, (p. 154),
The Peterson Field Guide Series.

PEALIKE FLOWERS; MISCELLANEOUS LEAVES  - PEA FAMILY
(Leguminosae)

GORSE, FURZE, Alien
Ulex europaeus 

A dense, spiny, evergreen bush or shrub. Stems furrowed,
leaves replaced by rigid spines. Flowers (1/2 to 2/3 in.)
showy. 2-6 ft. Sandy soil; an escape from cultivation.

---

From: [email-masked] (The no-till man!)
Date: 3 Apr 94 17:21:08 MST

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Bill Apgar) 

>info would also be appreciated.

I believe Gorse is found up in Mendocino County in California. It has an orange
bloom in May, June and it is very thorny with a structure somewhat like a
briar. At the moment, a program is going on to erradicate this plant, as it is
found to be a problem when trying to preserve the native vegetation in the
area. 
The National Park Service, USDA, and Bureau of Land Mangement might be a good
place to find out more. Hope I was able to help.
	
	Mr. Oddball, co-owner of "Oddball Farm" and "Oddball Publishing"
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	Bentpole Bennie  | "Wanton owner of the Snapple Beverage Co. and 
        [email-masked]|  three hundred acres of old growth forest."