The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Furze \Furze\, n. [OE. firs, As. fyrs.] (Bot.)
   A thorny evergreen shrub (Ulex Europ[ae]us), with beautiful
   yellow flowers, very common upon the plains and hills of
   Great Britain; -- called also gorse, and whin. The dwarf
   furze is Ulex nanus.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Gorse \Gorse\, n. [OE. & AS. gorst; perh. akin to E. grow,
   grass.] (Bot.)
   Furze. See Furze.
   [1913 Webster]

         The common, overgrown with fern, and rough
         With prickly gorse.                      --Cowper.
   [1913 Webster]

   Gorse bird (Zool.), the European linnet; -- called also
      gorse hatcher. [Prov. Eng.]

   Gorse chat (Zool.), the winchat.

   Gorse duck, the corncrake; -- called also grass drake,
      land drake, and corn drake.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

gorse
    n 1: very spiny and dense evergreen shrub with fragrant golden-
         yellow flowers; common throughout western Europe [syn:
         gorse, furze, whin, Irish gorse, Ulex europaeus]