Species: Ulex parviflorus Pourr.

Family: Fabaceae

Common names: Mediterranean gorse; aliaga, aulaga, tojo (Spanish); gatosa (Catalan); Ajonc de Provence (French)

Brief description: shrub, up to 2 m tall. No leaves, they are converted to spines. It retain standing dead branches. Yellow flowers. Small pods with one to three seeds dispersed explosively at the beginning of the summer.

Distribution: western Mediterranean basin: Spain, France, North Africa.

Habitat: fire-prone shurblands

Regeneration: Does not resprout but it recruits well after disturbances, especially after fire when high soil temperatures break seed dormancy and induce germination.

Interactions: Predispersal seeds predation by Exapion fasciolatum

Uses and overuses: It is a very flammable plant and was used in the past to heat ovens. Currently it is considered a problem for fire and fuel management.

Status: abundant

Publications

• García Y., Castellanos M.C. & Pausas J.G. 2016. Fires can benefit plants by disrupting antagonistic interactions. Oecologia 182, 1165–1173. [doi | pdf]
• Moreira B., Castellanos M.C., Pausas J.G. 2014. Genetic component of flammability variation in a Mediterranean shrub. Molecular Ecology 23: 1213-1223. [doi | pdf | suppl. | data:dryad]
• Pausas J.G. & Moreira B. 2012. Flammability as a biological concept. New Phytologist 194: 610-613. [doi | wiley | pdf]
• Pausas J.G., Alessio G., Moreira B. & Corcobado G. 2012. Fires enhance flammability in Ulex parviflorus. New Phytologist 193: 18-23. [doi | wiley | pdf]
• Moreira B. & Pausas J.G. 2012. Tanned or burned: The role of fire in shaping physical seed dormancy. PLoS ONE 7(12): e51523. [doi | plos | pdf]
• Baeza, M.J., Santana, V.M., Pausas, J.G. and Vallejo, V.R. 2011. Successional trends in standing dead biomass in Mediterranean basin species. Journal of Vegetation Science 22: 467-474. [doi] [pdf] [wiley]
• Moreira B., Tormo J., Estrelles E., Pausas J.G. 2010. Disentangling the role of heat and smoke as germination cues in Mediterranean Basin flora. Annals of Botany 105: 627-635. [pdf] [doi] [journal full text | usage] [blog]