common gorse Fabaceae Ulex europaeus

Leaf:Alternate, simple, evergreen, awl-like to linear, 1/8 to 1/2 inch long (juvenile leaves are linear and longer), very stiff and sharp (thorn-like), dark green to gray-green.
Flower:Attractive, yellow, pea-like, 1 inch long, appearing in spring in great abundance and to a lesser extent in the fall (or even year round depending on the climate). Entire shrub can turn yellow in the spring.
Fruit:Gray, fuzzy, a short (1/2 to 1 inch) legume, dark brown, popping open when ripe ejecting seeds some distance (up to 15 feet).
Twig:Stiff, green, angled, each twig ending in a sharp spine up to 2 inches long.
Bark:Shallowly ridged and furrowed, somewhat scaly gray to orange-brown.
Form:A dense, thicket-forming shrub up to 10 feet tall. A gorse thicket is practically impenetrable.

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