Side by side
Sea buckthorn or gorse? How to tell them apart
Hippophae rhamnoides · Ulex europaeus
How to tell them apart – sea buckthorn: silvery-grey leaves and orange berries; gorse: evergreen, impenetrable shrub with green spines instead of leaves, and fragrant yellow flowers.
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Svdmolen assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Sea buckthorn Hippophae rhamnoides
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How do you recognise them?
- Sea buckthorn
- Thorny shrub with narrow, silvery-grey leaves and, in autumn, masses of orange berries packed along the branches.
- Compared with gorse: silvery-grey leaves and orange berries.
- Gorse
- Evergreen, impenetrable shrub with green spines instead of leaves, and fragrant yellow flowers.
| Sea buckthorn | Gorse | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, 3–7 cm, linear; grey-green above, silvery-scaly below. | Mature plants have only stiff green spines of 1–2.5 cm; seedlings have trifoliate leaves. |
| Flowering | Inconspicuous greenish-brown flowers in March–April, before the leaves; separate male and female plants (March–April). | Golden-yellow pea flowers with a coconut scent, mainly in March–May, but a few almost all year round (February–May). |
| Fruit | Orange, sour berries (6–8 mm) crowded along the branches, rich in vitamin C; only on female plants. | Hairy pods that snap open in summer. |
| Bark | Branches with sharp thorns; young twigs silvery brown. | Green, grooved twigs, with spines everywhere. |
| Shape and height | Shrub, 1–4 m | Shrub, 1–2 m |
| Site | Full sun, any garden soil, dry | Full sun, acid soil, dry |
| Native to Belgium | Yes | Yes |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for birds | Yes, for bees, butterflies and birds |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Yes, take care with children and pets |
| Pruning months | February–March | May–June |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Gorse is poisonous to people and pets: take care with children and animals.
- Both are native and good for wildlife: choose what suits your soil, your light and the space you have.
Read on
- Plant profile: Sea buckthorn
- Plant profile: Gorse
- Sea buckthorn: when and how to prune
- Gorse: when and how to prune
- Identification key: the question that separates them
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This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.