Can you smell Gorse? (1 Viewer)

pianoman · Apr 20, 2006

Hi, just wondering if anyone is like me, and unable to smell the apparently delicious scent of coconut from Gorse blossom?

Most of my neighbours & friends can smell it, but I must lack a nasal receptor of some sort! Even close up, a gorse flower is odourless to me. Can smell other blossom fine.

Just wondering if it's a genetic thing...

Thanks - Andrew

Edit - let us know if you can smell it too...

Andrew Whitehouse · Apr 20, 2006

I'm afraid you're missing out on one of the most wonderful smells in the countryside. Somehow very evocative of springtime, even though it flowers for much of the year.

Steve Lister · Apr 20, 2006

Its so strong at the moment you must be missing a heck of a lot of sensors!

Steve

pianoman · Apr 20, 2006

Andrew Whitehouse said:
I'm afraid you're missing out on one of the most wonderful smells in the countryside. Somehow very evocative of springtime, even though it flowers for much of the year.

Oh Lord, I was afraid of this... waiting for one non-smeller so we can start a support group :-C

I can smell the Chanel no. 5 scent from (lesser) hogweed though, so that's something

christineredgate · Apr 20, 2006

I did not think of coconut.Gorse always smells to me of vanilla.We are surrounded by gorse bushes here,and the fragrance is so evocative,overpowering at times.Our gorse bushes are full of nesting birds,the chicks must think they are entering Utopia!!!

baillieswells · Apr 20, 2006

pianoman said:
Hi, just wondering if anyone is like me, and unable to smell the apparently delicious scent of coconut from Gorse blossom?

Most of my neighbours & friends can smell it, but I must lack a nasal receptor of some sort! Even close up, a gorse flower is odourless to me. Can smell other blossom fine.

Just wondering if it's a genetic thing...

Thanks - Andrew

Edit - let us know if you can smell it too...

Can you smell Furze or Whin?

pianoman · Apr 21, 2006

baillieswells said:
Can you smell Furze or Whin?

Alack, Gorse by any other name wouldst smell as little... :scribe:

mothman · Apr 21, 2006

christineredgate said:
I did not think of coconut.Gorse always smells to me of vanilla.We are surrounded by gorse bushes here,and the fragrance is so evocative,overpowering at times.Our gorse bushes are full of nesting birds,the chicks must think they are entering Utopia!!!

Pop into Boots and sniff a bottle of Hawian Tropic suntan oil (not the cream) and tell me it's not a dead ringer for Gorse!

Colin.
PS on a similar note, I can't smell Fresias.

Leif · Apr 22, 2006

I've often been surrounded by Gorse in flower and have never noticed the smell. I'll put me hooter up close to some next time. Leif

pianoman · Apr 22, 2006

Leif said:
I've often been surrounded by Gorse in flower and have never noticed the smell. I'll put me hooter up close to some next time. Leif

Thanks Leif, one other is all I need for the support group

I don't think puttting your hooter up close helps; if you don't smell it, you don't smell it...

Suntan lotion - now there's the smell of summer!

Yernagates · Apr 27, 2006

pianoman said:
Hi, just wondering if anyone is like me, and unable to smell the apparently delicious scent of coconut from Gorse blossom?

Very interesting...

If I stuff my face right into a flowering gorse bush I can just smell something vaguely flowery, but that's all. On the other hand, I easily pick up the scent of flowering broom from some distance away. Generally I have a very good sense of smell, which I use a lot when botanising.

My ex-wife used to find gorse blooms so strong as to be overpowering (though pleasant), to the extent that she preferred not to walk through large gorse banks in bloom. She reckoned that the smell of gorse and broom were about the same strength.

Now for the genetics... One of our daughters can smell gorse, the other one cannot. This seems pretty conclusive to me...

There does seem to be research on the topic, though not specifically on gorse. Here are a few pages I found:
http://www.weizmann.ac.il/Biology/open_day_2002/book/doron_lancet.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/...tailed&tmpl=dispomimTemplate&list_uids=105570
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1452969

Richard

david2004 · Apr 27, 2006

I walked past a huge amount of gorse today, and could only smell it when I bent down right next to it. Having said that, it is a lovely smell!

Keith Reeder · Apr 27, 2006

I can smell gorse from yards away at the moment!

I do wonder though, whether the air temperature has an effect - gorse seems to smell strongest on warm sunny days.

Surreybirder · Apr 28, 2006

Is it a coincidence that the Google ad at the bottom of this thread reads:
No more smelly feet!
I don't think I have a particularly good sense of smell but gorse is one thing that I certainly can smell.

pianoman · May 1, 2006

Yernagates said:
On the other hand, I easily pick up the scent of flowering broom

Hi - yes I can smell Broom, come to think of it

Curious!

Capercaillie71 · May 1, 2006

Keith Reeder said:
I do wonder though, whether the air temperature has an effect - gorse seems to smell strongest on warm sunny days.

I agree - it's definitely a stronger smell on a warm, sunny day.

And yes, it does smell of coconut.

Yernagates · May 2, 2006

pianoman said:
Hi, just wondering if anyone is like me, and unable to smell the apparently delicious scent of coconut from Gorse blossom?

A further thought...

What about western gorse Ulex gallii and dwarf furze Ulex minor? Does the sensitivity to their scent vary in the same way as to "big" gorse Ulex europaeus? As I recall I can't smell any of them.

Have to wait a bit to try the other two, of course, as they don't flower till late summer.

Richard

baillieswells · May 2, 2006

pianoman said:
Hi, just wondering if anyone is like me, and unable to smell the apparently delicious scent of coconut from Gorse blossom?

Most of my neighbours & friends can smell it, but I must lack a nasal receptor of some sort! Even close up, a gorse flower is odourless to me. Can smell other blossom fine.

Just wondering if it's a genetic thing...

Thanks - Andrew

Edit - let us know if you can smell it too...

As it is also the asparagus season, can you smell asparagus? Some people can, some cannot.

Gerry Hooper · May 2, 2006

I'm sure some Gorse smells and some doesn't.
Sometimes I can smell it before seeing it , other times I "put my hooter " up close and there's nothing.

christineredgate · May 2, 2006

I do not think Gorse can be smelt close up.It has to be the scent which is carried by by the breeze.Our village carries the aroma of this wonderful shrub at the moment.One of the fishermen commented on it only yesterday,and also remarked as to how one can suddenly see this plant way up on the mountain side ,2 mls away in full bloom.

Can you smell Gorse? (1 Viewer)

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