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Gorse or Broom?
--- Posting from our now closed Forum ---
Just in case (like lots of people) you don't know what gorse looks like or you confuse broom and gorse, here's a quick guide. If it has yellow flower, smells of coconut oil or like Ambre Solaire and is very prickly, it's gorse. No prickles, yellow flowers, ridged green stems then it's broom.
Both species needs a certain amount of control on Troopers Hill to keep the balance on the side of acid grassland and heathland which is what makes Troopers Hill very special ecologically. If both were left to grow eventually Troopers Hill would become scrub, then woodland and the acid grassland and heathland would be lost together with many of the wildlife, plant and fungi species that are there at the moment.
Photos of broom and gorse below. Starting with the large scale photo
Here are 2 photos of gorse - spot the prickles, sorry no smelly vision for the coconut scent 
Now a close up of the flowers and prickles
Now broom - green stems and usually no yellows at this time of year but watch out from May onwards
and here is a closeup of an out of season broom flower on a ridged green stem with no prickles.
Posted by Susan, Sat Feb 04, 2012 4:38 pm
