Herb: Missouri Gooseberry


Latin name: Ribes missouriense


Synonyms: Grossularia missouriensis, Ribes gracile


Family: Grossulariaceae (Currant Family)



Edible parts of Missouri Gooseberry:

Fruit - raw or cooked. A rich sub-acid vinous flavour that is very agreeable, the fruit is somewhat too acid to be eaten raw for most tastes but when fully ripe makes delicious tarts. The fruit can be dried for later use. A gooseberry, but with a smooth skin, it is about 10mm in diameter, though some forms can be up to 14mm in diameter.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
2 m
(6 1/2 foot)

Flowering:
June

Habitat of the herb:

Dry to moist open woods, thickets and fence rows.

Propagation of Missouri 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 between 0 and 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:

Dry to moist open woods, thickets and fence rows.

Medicinal use of Missouri Gooseberry:

None known

Known hazards of Ribes missouriense:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.