The Weed Wire: Gorse
Gorse overtaking the cliffside at Nelscott Beach
History and Native Range: Ulex europaeus, originally native to western Europe, is a flowering evergreen shrub closely resembling and related to Scotch broom- the main difference in appearance being the extreme thorniness of all members of the gorse genus. Due to both its prolific flower production and the aforementioned thorniness, gorse has long been used within its native range as a living fence. In the present day, gorse has been introduced to North America (particularly Oregon and California) as well as South America, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Sri Lanka, and the Falkland Islands.
Identification: As previously stated, gorse strongly resembles the similarly invasive Scotch broom, with the exception of mature gorse plants producing sharp spines instead of leaves; gorse seedlings, however, produce normal leaves that resemble clover for the first few months after germinating.
Gorse blooms and needles
The Problem Here: Gorse, being extremely hardy and fast-growing, easily overtakes most areas it is introduced to, pushing out native plants along the way. It is also highly flammable. These two factors combined pose serious concerns for communities where gorse becomes heavily established. In fact, the initial introduction of gorse to the West Coast eventually led to the near-complete destruction of the town of Bandon in 1936. The town’s founder, in homage to his birthplace, named the seaside community after his hometown of Bandon, Ireland, and brought with him a plant known as Irish hedge- aka gorse. Between 1852 and 1936 “Irish hedge” spread unchecked, until one day sparks from a forest fire several miles from town were blown into a gorse patch. Flammable oils in the plant greatly accelerated the fire, destroying most of the town’s buildings and killing ten of its residents. However, as fire is an intrinsic part of gorse ecology, the plant’s population soon recovered and persists in large numbers to this day.
Due to both the immense safety risk posed by uncontrolled gorse and the threat posed to sensitive coastal species such as the Oregon silverspot butterfly, hoary elfin butterfly, snowy plover, and pink sand verbena, Lincoln SWCD has undertaken a new gorse control program within Lincoln County. Please contact the District if you believe you have gorse occurring on your property!
Manual Control: As gorse does not begin to produce thorns until it reaches several months in age, new seedlings can easily be pulled by hand. Larger plants may be removed manually with the assistance of heavy-duty gloves or a weed wrench. So long as the taproot is removed, the plant will not resprout. However, the area may need continued monitoring to ensure any previously dispersed seeds do not grow into a re-established patch.
Herbicides: For infestations that are too large or on too difficult of terrain for manual control, foliar or cut-stump application of herbicide is an effective means of controlling gorse. Products containing triclopyr have been found to be the most effective for gorse. Whenever using herbicide products, care must be taken to follow label directions for application and PPE use.
Biological/Cultural Control: Two weaknesses of this hardy plant are an intolerance of shade, and its palatability to livestock despite its thorniness. While large pastoral gorse infestations are not common in Oregon, one method of controlling such infestations is grazing by goats. In the long term, planting conifers to shade out gorse may also lead to eventual eradication in areas where herbicide use must be avoided.
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