Herb: American Mountain Gooseberry


Latin name: Ribes oxyacanthoides


Synonyms: Grossularia oxyacanthoides


Family: Grossulariaceae (Currant Family)



Medicinal use of American Mountain Gooseberry:

A decoction of the stems, combined with the stems of wild blackcurrants (Ribes spp), has been used to treat sickness after childbirth.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
150 cm
(5 feet)

Habitat of the herb:

Moist thickets and riverbanks. Prairies and canyons.

Edible parts of American Mountain Gooseberry:

Fruit - raw or cooked. A gooseberry with a sweet and pleasant flavour. It is used in jams and pies. The fruit can also be dried for later use. The fruit is about 10mm in diameter. Leaves - raw.

Propagation of the herb:

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 American Mountain Gooseberry:

Moist thickets and riverbanks. Prairies and canyons.

Known hazards of Ribes oxyacanthoides:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.