Herb latin name: Ribes stenocarpum


Synonyms: Grossularia stenocarpa


Family: Grossulariaceae (Currant Family)



Edible parts of Ribes stenocarpum:

Fruit - raw or cooked. A gooseberry with a pleasant but quite strongly acid flavour and a hairy skin. It hangs well on the plant if the birds leave it alone and can be harvested into October. The later it is harvested then the less acid the fruit is. The red or green-tinged red oblong fruit is about 25mm long and 10mm wide.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
2 m
(6 1/2 foot)

Flowering:
May to
June

Habitat of the herb:

Coniferous or mixed forests, thickets on mountain slopes and ravines at elevations of 2300 - 3300 metres.

Propagation of Ribes stenocarpum:

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:

Coniferous or mixed forests, thickets on mountain slopes and ravines at elevations of 2300 - 3300 metres.

Medicinal use of Ribes stenocarpum:

None known

Known hazards of Ribes stenocarpum:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.