Ulex minor

Family: Fabaceae

The Gorse is a thorny shrub belonging to the same family as peas. The thorns are intended to dissuade herbivores from eating the plant. Those animals, in turn, target the young branches, which are less woody and therefore hurt less to eat.

This species is nitrogen-fixing, therefore turning soil more rich in nitrogen (vital for its fertility!). People used to burn them and spread their ash in agricultural fields.

This is a species that regrows easily from fire and it's considered to be important in regenerating the soils and ecosystems after disturbance, in what's know as ecological succession.

 During the hottest months of summer, you can hear small cracking sounds when you're close to these bushes. It is the pods cracking under the heat, releasing the seeds into the air.

Erica arborea

Familly: Ericaceae

 
A giant amongst its kind, the tree heather can be found in the western Mediterranean, but also in the Azores and even in some African mountain ranges, as in Ethiopia and Cameroon.

The tree heather's wood is very dense and fire resistant, and was valued to carve smoking pipes. In Gerês, nowadays, it grows in the arid mountain tops as well as in the lush valleys. The honey in this areas is very prized, you can feel the heather flavor and it's lovely!