Gorse or wattle? / myLot

Rockingham, Australia

April 11, 2023 2:59am CST

The photo was taken in Mayo, Ireland, and shows a lovely stand of gorse/furze. It reminds me very much of our Australian wattle. Gorse belongs to the genus Ulex and comprises around 20 species of thorny evergreen shrubs. The different species flower at different times for longer or shorter periods leading to the old saying ‘When gorse is out of blossom, kissing’s out of fashion.’ This saying came up in a comment on myLot recently. Gorse has a distinctive coconut scent, the strength of which seems to vary from one individual to another.

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11 responses

Anna

@LadyDuck (502528)

• Italy

11 Apr 23

We have those shrubs here, the yellow flowers are almost all gone, they are turning green now.

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Anna

@LadyDuck (502528)

• Italy

11 Apr 23

@FriendlyFrieda Those shrubs are everywhere also here in the south of Switzerland. I see them even from my window.

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Anna

@LadyDuck (502528)

• Italy

11 Apr 23

@JudyEv They are beautiful, the whole hedge of the neighbor in front of us is made with gorse shrubs.

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Judy Evans

@JudyEv (382162)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Apr 23

They make a lovely show from the road. The hillsides are a mass of yellow. @LadyDuck @FriendlyFrieda

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Always smiling

@allknowing (153530)

• India

12 Apr 23

We had something like this on roadsides but I do not see them any more.

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Judy Evans

@JudyEv (382162)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Apr 23

Some things seem to disappear over time.

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Always smiling

@allknowing (153530)

• India

12 Apr 23

@JudyEv There used to be balsams on road sides and now they have disappeared

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Judy Evans

@JudyEv (382162)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Apr 23

@allknowing That's a shame.

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Eva James

@wolfgirl569 (135791)

• Marion, Ohio

11 Apr 23

Those are pretty

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Judy Evans

@JudyEv (382162)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Apr 23

I thought so too. Some hills are just a mass of yellow.

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Eva James

@wolfgirl569 (135791)

• Marion, Ohio

11 Apr 23

@JudyEv That would be a wonderful view

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The Horse

@TheHorse (238317)

• Walnut Creek, California

11 Apr 23

I remember gorse and heather from Winnie the Pooh. I have one hell of a wattle, but that's something else.

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The Horse

@TheHorse (238317)

• Walnut Creek, California

12 Apr 23

@JudyEv Some day I will actually experience gorse and heather. Actually, I knew a girl named Heather But never a Gorse. Why?

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Judy Evans

@JudyEv (382162)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Apr 23

@TheHorse It's not a nice-sounding name to me and, maybe, like her namesake, she would be prickly.

Judy Evans

@JudyEv (382162)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Apr 23

I used to read about gorse and heather too but we don't have them in Australia.

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Dena Miller

@Dena91 (17039)

• United States

12 Apr 23

What a lovely shrub. Smells like coconut, I would like that. Never heard that saying, or at least it isn't coming to mind right now. I am enjoying your trip to Ireland. Thank you for sharing with us.