Spiny evergreen shrub with yellow pea-like flowers , to 3.5 m tall. Gorse typically forms dense impenetrable thickets that exclude desirable vegetation and increase fire hazard risks.
Older shrubs develop a central mass of dead material and are particularly flammable.
Abundant leaf litter acidifies upper soil layers. Introduced from Western Europe as an ornamental or hedge shrub. The seed weevil reduces seed production, but cannot kill established stands. Heavy mite infestations can kill branches and are apparent by the dense webbing that covers the foliage. Juvenile plants typically lack lateral branches and have compound leaves with 3 leaflets.