furze, any plant of the genus
Ulex of the family Leguminosae (
pulse family), low, densely branched shrubs with spiny leaves (when present) and fragrant yellow blossoms.
U. europaeus, the common furze (also called gorse and whin), thrives in sandy soil; naturalized from Europe, it is used as a hedge plant, a sand binder, and sometimes as fodder. Furze is classified in the division
Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Rosales, family Leguminosae.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004.
Licensed from Columbia University Press