Common Name: Currant-Gooseberry

General Information

Ribes hirtellum is a somewhat prickly, deciduous shrub with erect to sprawling branches; it can grow 50 - 150cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, It is sometimes cultivated for its edible fruits[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Northern N. America - Alberta to Newfoundland, south to Nebraska, Illinois and Maryland

Habitat

Rocky woods and cliffs, coastal thickets and heathlands, cedar and tamarack swamps, riverbottom forests, swales in sandhills, treed wetlands; at elevations up to 2,200 metres[]

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	1.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Ribes hirtellum is very cold hardy, when dormant it can tolerate temperatures falling to around -20°c[].
Easily grown in a moisture retentive but well-drained loamy soil of at least moderate quality[, ]. Prefers a very sunny position[].
Closely allied to the cultivated gooseberry and american gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa and Ribes oxyacanthoides)[], the plant is often cultivated for its edible fruit[]. It is the parent of many disease-resistant American gooseberry cultivars[], and is sometimes crossed with European hybrids[].
White pine blister rust, caused by the pathogen Cronartium ribicola, is a fungal disease that is native to Asia but has spread via human activity to many other regions, where it has become more virulent. It has a complex life-cycle that requires both currants (Ribes species) and white pines (Pinus species of the section Strobus) for the disease to spread. Whilst Ribes species can generally live with the disease (it has an annual life-cycle and infects the leaves only) Pinus species can be devastated by it (it becomes perennial and spreads through the tree). Young pines are far more susceptible than mature trees. In America the growing of certain Ribes species is banned in some areas in order to protect plantations of white pine species.
Plants in this genus tend to be notably susceptible to honey fungus[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked in jams, jellies, pies, preserves etc[, , , , ]. A smooth-skinned gooseberry[] with a pleasant taste[, ]. The fruit can also be dried for later use[, ]. The fruit is about 8 - 10mm in diameter[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

Much used for crossing experiments in gooseberry breeding in America[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 4 - 5 months cold stratification at between 0 to 9°c and should be sown as early in the year as possible[, ]. Under normal storage conditions the seed can remain viable for 17 years or more. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter, planting them out in late spring of the following year.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 10 - 15cm with a heel, mid summer in a frame[, ].
Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, preferably with a heel of the previous year's growth, late autumn to late winter in a cold frame or sheltered bed outdoors[, ].