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Gorse

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Ulex europaeus

A spiky golden bush that smells like coconut on warm days. There's an old Irish saying: "When gorse is out of bloom, kissing's out of season" — meaning it's almost never out of bloom!

Height

200 cm

Blooms

All year (peak Mar–Jun)

Family

Pea (Fabaceae)

Latin name

Ulex europaeus

Where to find

Heaths and hillsides everywhere
Coastal cliffs
Roadside hedges

Learn more on Wikipedia →

Where you can find Gorse in Ireland

Connemara National Park — County Galway: Wild Atlantic mountains, blanket bogs and twinkling lakes. Look for purple heather and yellow bog asphodel in summer, and Atlantic-fringe plants like sundews and butterworts.
Glenveagh National Park — County Donegal: Mountains, glens and one of Ireland's largest red deer herds. Heather paints the slopes purple in late summer, while bog cotton dances over the wet ground.
Wicklow Mountains National Park — County Wicklow: Ireland's largest national park, just south of Dublin. Heather-clad mountains, deep valleys with foxgloves and bog-loving sundews and butterworts.
Howth Head — Dublin: A rocky peninsula at the edge of Dublin city. Heather and gorse on the cliff tops, bluebells in the woods in spring, and great views of the sea below.

See all botanical hotspots in Ireland →