Herb: Hillside Gooseberry


Latin name: Ribes californicum


Synonyms: Grossularia californica


Family: Grossulariaceae (Currant Family)



Edible parts of Hillside Gooseberry:

Fruit - raw or cooked. The fruit can also be made into preserves or can be dried for winter use.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Habitat of the herb:

Open slopes and rocky canyons below 750 metres in California.

Propagation of Hillside Gooseberry:

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 3 months cold stratification at 1 to 5°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, July/August in a frame. Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, preferably with a heel of the previous year's growth, November to February in a cold frame or sheltered bed outdoors.

Cultivation of the herb:

Open slopes and rocky canyons below 750 metres in California.

Medicinal use of Hillside Gooseberry:

None known

Known hazards of Ribes californicum:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.