Herb: Missouri Gooseberry


Latin name: Ribes setosum


Synonyms: Grossularia setosa, Ribes oxyacanthoides setosum


Family: Grossulariaceae (Currant Family)



Edible parts of Missouri Gooseberry:

Fruit - raw or cooked. A pleasant sub-acid flavour with a hint of muskiness. Highly esteemed. The fruit is up to 10mm in diameter.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
100 cm
(3 1/4 foot)

Habitat of the herb:

Rocky slopes. Thickets and the shores of lakes.

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:

Rocky slopes. Thickets and the shores of lakes.

Medicinal use of Missouri Gooseberry:

None known

Known hazards of Ribes setosum:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.